Theft in Broad Daylight
I was re-reading the current issue of “Iowa History Journal” over the weekend, including the story about how the John Dillinger gang rather brazenly robbed a bank in downtown Mason City 90 years ago this year…right there in broad daylight with folks all around.
That certainly was a feat…but how about stealing a broadcasting station tower?
It’s getting bad out there, folks who do about anything to steal copper wire and tubing. About a month ago, an Oklahoma FM radio station tower was toppled by two people who severed a guy wire for the copper. That led to the tower itself collapsing. The thieves stripped the remains of the copper…about $100 in value…but the damage to the station tower was about a half million dollars.
But those two were outdone by a gang near Jasper, Alabama. A landscaping crew arrived last week to clean the property up in advance of other work to be done at the site. When they got there, they found the building vandalized and the tower completely missing…the guy wires were cut, and the entire 200 foot tall tower was taken.
The station owner points out that in addition to possible local theft charges, it’s a federal crime to tamper with any government-licensed facilities…and radio stations in this country operate with a government license.
As the station owner noted on social media, “I have heard of thieves in this area stealing anything, but this one takes the cake.” And, literally, the tower.
