Two men in Little Falls, Minnesota are facing allegations of stealing a significant amount of copper from a rural Minnesota business by pretending to be phone technicians. Fallsnet’s team has first-hand knowledge of the recent increase in copper theft. The Little Falls internet provider had to spend $5,000 to repair the damage caused by stolen equipment in two incidents last year. According to Kenten Gangestad, co-owner of Fallsnet, they often discover missing items long after the incident has occurred.
To combat the theft, the Fallsnet crew installed motion-sensing cameras on their tower, which alerted them to suspicious activity. The footage revealed one man surveying the site while another removed the front license plate from a pickup truck before driving it into the worksite. The perpetrator was seen wearing a hard hat with an AT&T logo, but it was later discovered that the AT&T insignias were counterfeit.
The thieves were apprehended and charged with burglary, but the damage had already been done, exceeding $10,000. Fallsnet hopes that the new state law requiring a license to sell copper will help prevent future thefts. Lawmakers emphasize that beyond financial costs, darkened streets resulting from copper theft pose safety hazards for drivers and pedestrians.