Seven men charged with stealing $57K in copper wiring around Washington Co.
Seven men are facing theft charges after state police said they stole more than 13,000 pounds of copper wiring from telephone poles and sold them at scrap yards earlier this year, making nearly $60,000.
State police said 37-year-old Ryan Michael Scott of Avella was the ringleader of the operation and visited numerous scrapyards in Washington County, West Virginia and Ohio nearly three dozen times from January through early April.
During that timespan, police said Scott and others stole 11,737 pounds of copper wiring hanging from utility lines used by Verizon communications, and sold the precious metal for more than $50,000.
Police said Dennis John Kinkela, 49, of Burgettstown, sold 1,112 pounds of wiring worth $5,167 and Donald Edward Martin III, 36, of Bulger, had 568 pounds of copper that he sold for $2,103 during the timespan of the thefts.
The thefts occurred across Washington County, including numerous locations in Jefferson, North Franklin, Smith and Hanover townships.
Investigators received a tip from a confidential informant about the thefts in April and began tracking Scott’s phone, which led them to find more people involved in the ring, according to court documents.
Scott fled from state police and led troopers on a high-speed chase April 27 in Blaine Township that led to him abandoning the stolen vehicle in the woods in Donegal Township with loads of copper from telecommunications equipment left in the backseat, according to court documents. Scott, who had an active warrant for his arrest on unrelated charges, was found a short distance away and charged with fleeing police at the time.
Troopers said he later confessed to the theft and identified others who allegedly participated in the ring. In all, state police estimate more than $57,000 in copper was stolen from utility lines and caused more than $5,000 in damage.
Last week, state police charged Scott, Kinkela and Martin with multiple felony counts of theft and criminal mischief. Others charged in the scheme and facing similar counts are Michael Douglas Hancher, 45, of Washington, Lawrence Angelo Bogo Jr., 56, of Avella, Allen Cecil Jackson, 28, of Wellsburg, W.Va., and Justin Lee Fusarelli, 43, of Avella.
Scott has been jailed since April, while Kinkela, Hancher, Bogo and Martin were arrested Tuesday and arraigned by District Judge Gary Havelka, who sent them to the Washington County jail on varying cash bonds. Jackson is awaiting extradition while being held at the Northern Regional Jail in West Virginia, while Fusarelli had yet to be brought into custody as of Thursday afternoon.
All are waiting to appear before Havelka for their preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3.
State police were assisted in the investigation by Washington County sheriff’s deputies and police departments from Jefferson, Smith, Hanover and Donegal townships.