WEST BOYLSTON — Four men were taken into custody Friday after police discovered an alleged theft in progress at a local cell tower.
The West Boylston Police Department responded to an alarm at the cell tower on Lawrence St. at approximately 3:15 p.m. Officers Kyle Santoro and Sgt.
Rick Petit arrived to find two vehicles with New York registration and four individuals wearing hard hats and work gear.
One of the suspects was climbing the tower, claiming to be T-Mobile subcontractors tasked with decommissioning 3G coax cable, but they lacked the necessary work orders.
Further investigation revealed forced entry into the cell tower office, with cables cut both inside and on the tower itself.
Verizon representatives confirmed that no such work had been authorized, indicating an ongoing issue with similar incidents at multiple cell towers in the area.
The alleged motive is the sale of the stolen cable as scrap metal.
The individuals arrested were Tajpaul Moses, 32; Yuvraj Moses, 31; Huckomchan Ramjiawan, 26, all from Schenectady, NY; and Kevon Alvin Roberts, 24, from Queens, NY.
They face charges including felony breaking and entering, larceny over $1,200, vandalism, possession of burglary tools, and trespassing.
All four were held without bail at the Worcester County House of Correction and are set for arraignment on Monday, March 4, at Clinton District Court.
Similar thefts have been reported by police departments throughout New England, with descriptions matching the vehicles found at the West Boylston site.
The West Boylston Police were assisted by officers from Holden, Sterling, and Boylston PDs.
Detective Mitchell Rogers continues to lead the ongoing investigation.
