News

New York man faces 37 felony charges of coaxial cable theft

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 4, 2024

A New York man was jailed on a $810,000 bond after being charged with 37 felony counts related to the theft of coaxial cable from AT&T, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said.

Detectives with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Property Crimes Unit began investigating the case after receiving a report of the theft of the coaxial wire on Dec. 5.

With the information provided in the report, detectives went to the incident location and began gathering information on how the suspect entered the property of AT&T.
As the investigation progressed, detectives were in contact with Lead Investigators/ Asset Protection of AT&T. Detectives were able to gain information about an individual who had been observed on video surveillance Asheville and later at an AT&T site in another county. Once detectives identified the suspect, they were able to link 10 other cases dating back to May 19.
Vincent DePaul, 36, of Syracuse, New York, was arrested while committing one of the crimes, the sheriff's office said. He was subsequently charged with:

• 10 felony counts of injury to utility wire and fixtures
• Nine counts of larceny
• 10 counts of 1st degree trespassing
• Nine felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense
• Nine felony counts of possession of stolen property
DePaul, who was jailed in the Henderson County Detention Center under a $810,000 bond, has a hold from New York for the same type charges with full extradition.
Currently, the Henderson County Property Crimes Unit is assisting AT&T with other wire theft investigations that has occurred in multiple counties.
Effective Dec. 1, the offense of injury to utility wire was made a class C felony in North Carolina.