MANCHESTER, Conn. — Police say a Massachusetts man impersonating a Connecticut Department of Transportation contractor was arrested he was found removing wires from streetlights in Manchester Monday.
At 8:20 a.m., police were called to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on the right shoulder of I-384 in Manchester. The caller said a man, dressed as a construction worker, was allegedly pulling wires from the CT DOT light poles on the right shoulder of the highway.
When they arrived, troopers found a U-Haul pickup truck parked on the right shoulder on I-384 westbound in the area of Exit 3 in Manchester and saw a man wearing reflective construction gear and a hard hat putting copper wires into the bed of the pickup truck. Police said the rear license plate on the pickup truck was hidden from view with a piece of clothing, which the man removed prior to speaking with troopers.
John Seeley, 49 of Springfield, Massachusetts, explained to Troopers that he was a sub-contractor for CT DOT hired to perform work in the area but was unable to verify his job assignment or employment. Police said a CT DOT supervisor who was called to the scene told investigators that Seeley had not been hired by CT DOT and that no legitimate work was scheduled to be performed at that location.
CT DOT told police several light poles with damaged or missing wires had been identified but indicated that a detailed inspection would be necessary to determine the full scope of the damage. The DOT supervisor told police that copper wire is valued at $6/foot and he estimated there was between 1,000 and 1,400 of wire in the truck, bringing the total value to between $6,000 and $8,000. DOT officials later said six poles and about $30,000 worth of materials missing or damaged.
Seely was taken into custody and charged with Negligent Use of a Highway by a Pedestrian, Criminal Mischief in the First Degree (15 counts), Criminal Attempt/Larceny in the First Degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Failure to Display Plates, Improper Parking. Seeley was held on a $100,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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