Verizon Offering $50,000 Reward for Info on Copper Cable Thefts in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Verizon said it’s offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for copper cable thefts in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties. The 30 thefts since early 2014 in Beaver, Fayette, Lawrence and Washington counties “have put public safety at risk for hundreds of customers and have caused unnecessary telephone service outages,” Verizon said Monday. The thefts have resulted in the loss of 16,000 feet of copper cable and more than $300,000 in damages, the telco said. “These acts are deliberate and brazen with no regard for the safety of our customers, and that is something Verizon will not tolerate,” Margaret Buban, Verizon director-Pennsylvania operations, said in a news release. “They can cause unnecessary telephone service outages for hundreds of customers at a time, put people’s lives in danger and cost thousands of dollars to repair.” The telco is working with state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the thefts, which violate a recently state enacted law that made copper thefts a third-degree felony.