Two people have been arrested in connection with the theft of copper from a cell tower site outside Houston in Montgomery, Texas.
As reported by KPRC 2, Magnolia Police Department said it received a call overnight about two men stealing copper from a cell phone tower located at FM 1486 and SH-249.
According to the police, the suspects were in a U-Haul truck, which was stopped on 249 near Woodtrace Boulevard. The unnamed pair were then arrested for felony theft.
Copper theft has been a big issue in Texas, with Houston Police Department noting it is investigating at least 20 cases of copper theft from cell phone towers in the last six months.
The theft occurred after a separate incident in Houston, where vandals were spotted climbing cell phone towers to steal copper wiring.
The issue has worsened, due to the high value of copper, meaning it's a lucrative market for vandals.
There have been several similar incidents across the US in recent months, with four men arrested earlier this month in West Boylston, Massachusetts, for allegedly stealing telecom cables to sell for scrap, while posing as T-Mobile contractors.
In February, vandals in Jasper, Alabama, were accused of stealing a whole 200-foot tower.
In January, suspected copper thieves toppled a 488-foot rod cell tower in Oklahoma, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Elsewhere, a 36-year-old man faces more than 50 charges over the alleged theft of coaxial cable from cell towers across Buncombe County and Henderson County, North Carolina.
