JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) – Nine people are behind the bar after Jacksonville agents unraveled a massive scheme and said they could steal fiber optic cables and strip off the copper content.
The group, consisting of eight men and one woman, as utility workers, will posed to avoid raising doubt using cables used to provide people with high-speed Internet access, investigators said.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it began working in October to “cut the code” for the group’s scheme.
It started with just five arrests, but lawmakers quickly realized this was a much bigger operation.
Surveillance video, witness statements and recycling records helped link those suspects along with four other suspects, along with theft of a total of 15 people.
The sheriff’s office said the last four “catched a redhead” when they attempted another theft.
Detectives said thefts were reported throughout Jacksonville and Bradford county, with multiple tools, stolen copper and even drugs during investigation.
Authorities believe that Archie Crook is the group’s “mastermind.” Other suspects in the case include Stephen Midette, Van Arnold, Darrick Roden, Terry Thompson, Donald Tire, Coltney Kowalski, James Bennett and Leslie Bennett.
Officials said residents who have been stolen from stolen cables are at risk of losing high-speed internet access, but often have to step on their bills when utility companies come out to replace cables.
“We would like to thank our partners at the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office and our partners attorneys of the prosecutor’s office across the state for helping with plugging this operation,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post announcing the arrest.
