Man charged after northern Ontario utility poles vandalized

Wires that were cut and stolen are shown in this police photo from July 2024. (File photo/Ontario Provincial Police)

Ontario Provincial Police have charged a 35-year-old man after investigating damaged hydro poles and copper wire thefts in the Town of Spanish.

Authorities responded to a mischief complaint on Beckerton Shooting Range Road at about 9:30 a.m. on April 8 after a power company reported repeated thefts targeting utility poles over several weeks.

Investigators determined that on April 7, a yellow side-by-side vehicle with an extension ladder and two occupants was seen in the area and about and about an hour later, the vehicle departed. Later, an employee discovered a ground wire had been cut from a pole – causing roughly $1,000 in damage.

Police noted in their news release that the cut wire was not actually copper.

The next day, officers spotted the same vehicle at a local gas station, but it fled at high speed when approached.

Subsequently, on Wednesday, officers arrested the side-by-side’s owner, and as a result of the investigation, he faces charges of dangerous operation of a vehicle and mischief.

The accused is scheduled to appear in Elliot Lake court on June 5.