Recently there have been seven break-ins at cell tower sites in Cabin Creek, WV. Our Property Crimes detectives have been working the cases and have recently made several arrests.
A cell tower in Giles Hollow was broken into November 26, 2019, and January 13 and 14, 2020. This cost one cell phone company more than $45,000 just to replace the cabling. It also cost them more in labor and shipping. Three different phone companies use the tower, and the others are still calculating damages.
A tower site in Sharon was hit August 19, September 18, November 12, and December 9, 2019 costing upwards of $9,000.
Motorists on the WV Turnpike were affected during the outages, as was anyone with an emergency in those areas of Cabin Creek.
Deputies responding to other incidents in Cabin Creek saw some suspicious activity on the night of one of the break-ins. They stopped to investigate and found stolen cabling. This proved to be a break in the case and led detectives to additional interviews and evidence.
Facing charges are:
James Canfield (22 of Sharon, WV) breaking and entering and destruction of property
Jeremy Powers (28 of Miami, WV) three counts of breaking and entering
Johnnie Boggess, III (30 of Miami) breaking and entering
Attached are their mugshots. As is always the case in criminal matters, the charges against Mr. Canfield, Mr. Powers, and Mr. Boggess are merely accusations. Each is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Also, there are suspects in that area who cut other phone and internet lines that haven’t yet been caught. Those are the lines people rely on to call for ambulances and fire departments, as well as law enforcement. Not every house in that part of Kanawha County has cell phone service.
If you have information that can help us solve those crimes, we encourage you to send us a tip. We can be reached on Facebook, by email at tips@kanawhasheriff.us, by phone at 304-357-0169, or anonymously through our website at www.kanawhasheriff.us.
