A man has been charged after reportedly stealing copper from a cell tower site in Nashville, Tennessee.

Local press, including WKRN, reports that Michael Grimes, 41, has been charged with multiple felonies after allegedly removing copper wire from a cell tower belonging to the Nashville Electric Service (NES) in Old Hickory.

Officers responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle near a cell tower on Legion Drive on Sunday, October 5, and arrived to find a man in a red Ford F-150 attempting to leave the area.

According to court documents, Grimes exited the truck to talk to the officers, reportedly admitting he was there without the owner’s consent to steal copper wire, electrical boxes, and other items.

Officers found “large quantities” of electrical and copper wire, along with two pairs of bolt cutters, court documents said, and noted a pole nearby had electrical boxes and wires cut from it.

Grimes was charged with felony burglary, felony property theft, felony vandalism, misdemeanor trespass, misdemeanor driving with a revoked license, and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools. His bond is set at $50,000.

In a statement to WKRN, NES said: “We are aware of the incident involving interference and theft of NES infrastructure located at one of our sites in Old Hickory. Theft of NES infrastructure is extremely dangerous and has a negative impact on customers. We ask customers to be on the lookout for unusual activity near power equipment and inform law enforcement to help us prevent theft.”

Copper theft at cell tower sites is common. Last year, suspected copper thieves toppled a 488-foot rod cell tower in Oklahoma, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. Another two people in Kansas City were recently charged for cutting cables at a tower site in the pursuit of copper.

DCD has covered the impact of attacks against telecoms infrastructure in Issue 58 of DCD Magazine. Read more here.