On Saturday February 12, 2022, the Orange Police Department responded to the report of a man stealing telephone cable from the utility poles near the intersection of Meeks Drive and Allie Payne Road. Officers arrived to find Clifford Byron Stephenson, a forty-two-year-old white male from Orange, running from the area. Further investigation led to Stephenson being arrested and charged with Felony Theft based on the value of the cable stolen and Felony Criminal Mischief for causing damage that disrupted a public utility.
An AT&T representative valued a span of the telephone cable, stretching from utility pole to utility pole at $2000. This theft involved two spans of cable that stretched three utility poles. The cables involved were active and provided both telephone and internet service to homes in the area.
The theft of communications cabling from utility poles has been an ongoing problem in the Greater Orange Area.
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