From Staff Reports

DANA, N.C. — Two Spartanburg, S.C., residents recently were arrested and a third remains at large following a months-long string of AT&T utility wire thefts in the unincorporated Dana community of Henderson County, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, which announced the arrests and charges on Oct. 22. 

The HCSO said that, after it received complaints of wire thefts, an investigation was launched. 

The HCSO identified three suspects, all from Spartanburg, and noted the charges as follows:

• Timothy Robert Harrison (25): Still wanted and at large. Warrants for his arrest include three counts each of injury to utility wire, possession of stolen property, and felony conspiracy, along with one count of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense.

• Justin Tayler Bunch (27): Arrested. He faces four counts of injury to utility wire, four counts of possession of stolen property, six counts of obtaining property by false pretense, and four counts of felony conspiracy.

• Candace Lynn Pierce (28): Arrested on one count of felony conspiracy in connection with the theft ring.

As for the investigation, according to arrest warrants, the trio cut and stole AT&T utility lines over a period of several months. 

Investigators discovered that Bunch subsequently sold the stolen copper utility wire to a metal recycling center located nearby, netting $1,060.50 from the sales. The HCSO did not identify the name of the metal recycling center that bought the wire.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Timothy Robert Harrison is asked to contact the HCSO.

Meanwhile, research by the Daily Planet indicated that outsiders target AT&T utility wires in communities like Dana, primarily to strip and sell the high-value copper inside for quick cash.

Specifically, outsiders reportedly travel to rural and unincorporated communities to commit the thefts due to a combination of economic incentives and geographic vulnerabilities as follows:

• High value of scrap copper: Copper is a much-prized commodity. When global demand drives prices up, the financial payout for stolen wire increases significantly.

• Vulnerable rural infrastructure: Dana is a rural community east of Hendersonville. Its utility lines run through heavily wooded, isolated or sparsely populated areas, providing thieves the cover of darkness and less risk of immediate civilian detection compared to tightly packed suburban neighborhoods, according to reports.

• Cross-border jurisdictional exploitation: Out-of-state thieves (such as those traveling up from Spartanburg) reportedly often operate across county or state lines under the assumption that local law enforcement agencies will not easily cross-reference out-of-town suspects or vehicles.

• Ease of selling stolen foods: Thieves exploit gaps at scrap metal yards. While scrap yards are legally required to log identification, thieves circumvent these laws by using false pretenses or traveling to different areas where they are not recognized.

Reports indicated that the trend is part of a much broader infrastructure crisis across North Carolina, where hundreds of copper wire thefts target telecommunication lines, resulting in major cell, internet, and critical 911 emergency service outages.