Pennsylvania State Police say five suspects are behind bars and two more are still being hunted after a five-month investigation into a string of Verizon telephone line thefts across Washington County. Troopers carried out an arrest warrant sweep on Tuesday that produced charges against seven people accused of stripping copper wire from utility lines since the thefts began in January.
According to WTAE, the sweep resulted in the arrests of 45-year-old Michael Hancher of Washington, 56-year-old Lawrence Bogo Jr. of Avella, 37-year-old Ryan Scott of Avella, and 49-year-old Dennis Kinkela of Burgettstown. State police also charged 36-year-old Donald Martin III of Bulger and 28-year-old Allen Jackson of Wellsburg, West Virginia, along with 37-year-old Justin Fusarelli of Avella, the station reported.
Jackson is already in custody in Moundsville, West Virginia, per the station's report. Martin and Fusarelli remain at large, and PSP Washington is asking anyone with information on their whereabouts to call the barracks at 724-223-5200.
A Charge Built for Infrastructure Damage
The suspects face charges under Title 18 Section 3935.1 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, which classifies stealing utility wire or telecommunications cable as theft of secondary metal — a felony-graded offense state lawmakers created in 2017 specifically to address the damage this kind of theft does to public infrastructure, according to Hoodline. The statute exists because ripping out active utility cable causes damage that far outstrips whatever the copper inside is worth as scrap.
That gap between scrap value and repair cost is stark. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates copper wire theft causes nearly $1 billion in damages nationwide every year, and every $100 worth of stolen copper wire can trigger up to $5,000 in repair costs for the utilities left to fix it, per data cited by CenterPoint Energy.
Part of a Statewide Pattern
Washington County is far from alone. Pennsylvania State Police in Schuylkill County investigated a similar run of Verizon line thefts in May and June, including more than 2,200 feet of copper cable stripped from poles along Old Route 209 that knocked out service, Skook News reported. In Delaware County, suspects cut and stole Verizon copper wiring valued at $91,998.60 along Cheyney Road in an overnight theft that state police investigated in March, according to Media PA Patch.
The stakes go beyond dollars. A separate March theft in Luzerne County saw a suspect cut 150 feet of Verizon copper wire, disabling emergency phone communications at a state police barracks for several days while troopers relied on contingency routing to take emergency calls, WNEP reported. Nationally, USTelecom industry data shows attacks and vandalism targeting critical communications infrastructure topped 18,000 incidents in 2025, disrupting broadband and phone service for an estimated 11.8 million customers, as Hoodline has reported wires cut near a sleeping resident.
Deadly Risks and a Regulated Scrap Market
Wire theft can also turn fatal. In May, a 32-year-old man was electrocuted in Dunbar Township, Fayette County, while allegedly attempting to steal wiring along Laurel Hill Road, a case Hoodline previously covered as the fatal Laurel Hill Road tampering case. Federal researchers note that cutting into utility ground or live lines can create lethal step potentials for anyone attempting the theft.
Pennsylvania has tried to choke off the resale market for stolen wire through the Scrap Material Theft Prevention Act, which requires scrap metal processors to register biennially with state police and log seller identification, driver's license details, and vehicle license plates for every metal transaction. The law also bars scrap yards from paying cash for commercial utility metals. Even so, organized theft rings keep operating across county lines — in April, police in Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, dismantled a ring accused of stealing nearly 15,000 pounds of utility wire worth $400,000 from a contractor yard, a case Hoodline detailed in its report on the $400K Plymouth Township copper heist, with investigators estimating the suspects pocketed nearly $50,000ᅠin scrap payouts.
For now, the Washington County case remains open while state police continue searching for Martin and Fusarelli. Anyone with information has been asked to contact PSP Washington directly as the investigation into the broader theft ring continues.
