A 42-year-old Arnold man was arrested for allegedly cutting wire off utility poles near Telegraph Road in Arnold. The wires belonged to AT&T, which notified Arnold Police about reported outages on Wick and Peach Roads off Telegraph, Detective Lt. Jeremy Christropher said.
Officers were called at about 3:40 a.m. Aug. 25 to the area affected by outages. They found a white 2002 Dodge Durango in the parking lot of STL Rent A Box, 3484 Telegraph Road, the report said.
The SUV allegedly had several tools used for cutting materials inside it, and officers also found numerous power tools used to cut materials, hand tools and two ladders in the area, according to the report.
There also was what appeared to be freshly cut wire on the ground, and damaged wires hanging from the utility poles, the report said.
Officers found the man in a grassy area near Telegraph Road. He had saw blades and other tools in his pockets, according to the report.
The man was arrested and taken to the Police Station, where he was booked and released pending the application for charges, the report said.
Arnold Police will seek charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for stealing and property damage, Christopher said.
Arnold Police said as of Aug. 29, AT&T had not reported the value on the wire that was cut or an approximate cost to repair the damage.