IFN Staff
Two Old Fort residents face felony charges in connection with the theft of fiber optic and copper wire following an investigation by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrests of Afton McKenzie Rash, 43, and Christopher Michael Laplante, 41, both of Old Fort Sugar Hill Road in Old Fort, in a news release Wednesday.
The charges are related to the theft that occurred at a location of Hickory Highway near Statesville on October 20, Campbell said.
Deputy J. Betts responded to the scene on that date after being notified about the theft of fiber optic and copper wire, which had caused a temporary service disruption in the area, according to the news release.
An AT&T technician who received an alarm for a cell tower outage and reportedly discovered a man loading large sections of cable into the trunk of a Toyota Corolla, Campbell said. The technician provided the Sheriff’s Office with a photo of the suspect vehicle.
Deputy Betts located approximately 300 feet of fiber optic cable and 300 feet of copper wire, valued at around $4,500. Through further investigation, the deputy determined the registered owner of the suspect vehicle was Rash, according to the news release.
Betts coordinated with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office in an effort to locate the suspect vehicle and identify the individuals involved. Deputies in McDowell County found the vehicle at a residence and identified Laplante as the second suspect, Campbell said.
During their investigation, deputies discovered wire and a pipe cutter inside the vehicle, according to the news release.
Based on evidence collected throughout the investigation, Deputy Betts obtained warrants charging Rash and Laplante with felony larceny, felony injuring utility wires/fixtures, and felony conspiracy to commit larceny.
On October 21, McDowell County deputies arrested Rash and Laplante and transported them to the McDowell County Detention Center. Both appeared before a magistrate and received a $15,000 secured bond.
While Rash has no criminal history, Laplante has a lengthy record, including the following charges: felony larceny, three counts of felony obtain property by false pretense, two counts of felony possession of stolen goods, felony breaking and entering a trailer/aircraft, seven counts of felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle, five counts of felony financial card theft, two counts of felony financial card fraud, felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of counterfeit currency, felony forgery of instrument, felony possession of schedule II controlled substance, felony possession of burglary tools, and felony possession of methamphetamine.