Cell Tower News: Huge tower battery thefts in Ill., Ohio

by Jarad Matula July 17, 2015

written by Jarad Matula July 17, 2015

Summer of tower theft continues

The months-long streak of cell tower battery thefts continued in both Illinois and Ohio this week. A few weeks ago in the Frankfort Township, Ill., police reported that sixteen batteries were stolen from a cabinet at a Sprint cell tower. No other details are available at this time. However, if the details of a nearly-identical crime over in Ohio are any indication, this was a battery theft totaling around $8,000.

In the Batavia Township of Ohio, sixteen batteries were also reported missing, with a reported value of $8,000. Additionally, police believe this was no geek off the street theft, but instead one that had “inside technical knowledge” due to the skilled way in which the batteries were removed from the site. Instead of being ripped out or cut in a crude manner, they were expertly removed from the cell tower without damaging any of the tower equipment. Perhaps the thief didn’t want to add destruction of property to eventual burglary charges.

This is just the latest in a series of cell tower copper and battery thefts over the past few months. The first was a string of copper and battery theft across New Jersey and Mass. Last month in the Carolinas, copper wires and air conditioning unites were stolen, and most recently, over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, when a disgruntled former tower climber pretended to be working but got caught stealing.