LITTLE FALLS, Minn. – Two men are accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of copper from a rural Minnesota company while posing as telephone technicians.
The Fallsnet crew knows firsthand how much copper theft has increased recently. Little Falls’ internet provider had to pay $5,000 to repair damage to stolen equipment in two incidents last year.
“Usually you don’t notice until days, or even weeks later, that things have been broken into and things are missing,” said Kenten Gangestad, co-owner of Fallsnet.
The crew installed motion detection cameras on their tower, which alerted them to activity last week. Footage shows one man exploring the site, while another removed the front license plate of a pickup truck before driving it onto the job site.
One of the men is wearing a helmet with an AT&T logo. Police arrived on the scene and discovered that the AT&T stickers on the men’s trucks and the hard hats were homemade counterfeits.
Valnet
The men were arrested and charged with burglary, but the damage had already been done.
“This time, even if they are caught and caught so quickly, the damage will be more than $10,000 that we have to repair,” Gangestad said.
Fallsnet hopes this is the last time they have to pay for a copper theft.
A new state law was passed last weekend requiring a permit to sell copper. It’s an attempt by lawmakers to stop the problem before the consequences get worse.
“If they damage more expensive or other equipment on the tower, we could literally lose internet service for an entire city for a few days,” Gangestad explained.
In addition to the costs, lawmakers say darkened streets pose a safety problem for both motorists and pedestrians.
Allen Henry
