BANGOR, Maine — Two Penobscot County men and a man from Cumberland County have been arrested in connection with the theft of utility wire from FairPoint Communications, Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross said Monday in a news release.
Jesse Buxton, 27, of Greenbush was arrested and charged with Class C felony theft by unauthorized taking. At the request of a Penobscot County Sheriff Department investigator, Darrian Daye, 20, of West Baldwin and Sean McCurdy, 27, of Greenbush were arrested in the greater Portland area by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Daye and McCurdy are being held at Penobscot County jail on $25,000 cash bail. Buxton was released on $2,500 bail and expected to appear in court in March.
According to Ross, the thefts took place in the early morning hours of Dec. 10 of last year, Jan. 6 and Jan. 21. Multiple suspects cut down and removed several hundred feet of telephone service lines from utility poles along Route 2 in Greenbush, just north of the Milford town line.
The wire was made of copper encased in aluminum, a specialty variety used by utilities, Ross said.
The theft of this cable resulted in more than 200 Greenbush residences losing telephone service for extended periods of time, included the ability to access 911. This was a severe disruption to FairPoint Communications’ service to the public and resulted in loss and replacement costs exceeding $30,000.
As part of an extensive investigation, detectives, deputies and members of the Maine State Police executed multiple search warrants in Greenbush on Friday. Buxton was arrested during one of the searches.