A Cedar Hill man accused of stealing telecommunication wiring throughout the Jefferson County portion of Fenton was recently arrested. He allegedly stole approximately 520 feet of wire and caused an estimated $6,000 worth of damage, according to court records.
Cody Kaelin, 34, has been charged with five counts of stealing, each a class D felony. However, the charges will be tried as class C felonies, each punishable by three to 10 years in prison, due to Kaelin being a prior and persistent offender, court documents show.
Kaelin was found guilty in May 2023 of felony possession of a controlled substance and felony stealing, court records show.
He was arrested on Oct. 25, and as of Nov. 4, he was being held on a $20,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents said.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy on May 20 filed five separate probable-cause statements that connected Kaelin to wire thefts over a 19-day period in June 2024. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said Kaelin had been listed as wanted, and a deputy arrested Kaelin following a traffic stop.
Kaelin allegedly admitted to cutting down wire and stealing it, according to the probable-cause statements.
He allegedly cut three Charter Communications wires on June 3, 2024. in the area of San Marcos and Menelleto drives in the Fenton area. He then returned to the area on June 22, 2024, when he cut two more Charter wires, the report said.
On June 7, 2024, Kaelin allegedly cut approximately 150 feet of AT&T wire in the 60 block of Violet Drive in the Fenton area. He told the detective that the wire had already been cut and just “pieced off of that,” according to the probable-cause statement.
AT&T estimated the cost to repair the damage to be $3,000, according to the report.
On June 11, 2024, Kaelin allegedly cut approximately 120 feet of AT&T wire in the 1100 block of Gravois Road in the Fenton area. The estimated cost to repair the damage also was $3,000, a probable-cause statement said.
On June 22, 2024, along with allegedly returning to steal wires near the intersection of San Marcos and Menelleto drives, Kaelin also stole approximately 250 feet of AT&T wire near the intersection of Tulip Drive and Hwy. 30 in the Fenton area. He told the detective the wires had already been cut in that area that he “pieced off of that,” according to the probable-cause statement. AT&T estimated the cost to repair the damage to be $1,000, according to the report.
