Two men are wanted on charges including conspiracy to commit theft after police suspect they stole Verizon cable wiring.
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Falls Township police said they were dispatched to the area of Waste Gas Fabricating on New Bold Road at 5:59 p.m. Saturday for a report of a suspicious vehicle. A caller reported a U-Haul truck had been parked at the end of the property for three hours, and requested police due to recent wire thefts in the area.
Officers found a 2014 GMC U-Haul truck with an Arizona license plate parked at the end of the driveway. On the ground near the truck, officers found a bundle of loose wires and observed a severed electric pole cable, police said.
Robert Oestreich, 44, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section, was found nearby gathering metal wiring, police said.
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Oestreich reportedly told officers the U-Haul was his and that there was more wire inside.
Inside the truck, officers found bundles of loose metal wires and two black trash bags containing more metal wiring wrapped in a black outer sheath, appearing to be cable wire, police said.
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Oestreich denied owning the wire in the trash bags and pointed toward where he was found when asked who it belonged to, police said.
Oestreich was carrying the U-Haul key, power saw blades, a flashlight, a box cutter, and a clear plastic baggie containing a white crystal substance suspected to be methamphetamine.
Oestreich told officers he was with a friend named “Chuck,” police said.
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Joseph Shaffer, 53, of Levittown, was later located by officers.
Shaffer told officers there were tools used to cut wire in a bag down the road, police said.
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Law enforcement said they found a stack of black outer sheaths with multicolored copper wiring inside between a cut hole in a fence. On top of the stack was a black backpack with large pruning shear handles sticking out of the top.
Police recovered approximately 30 black outer sheaths with multicolored copper wiring inside, confirmed to be Verizon property.
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Verizon reported that the theft and damage will cost $5,000, police said.
Oestreich and Shaffer are wanted on warrants related to conspiracy to commit theft, possession of an instrument of crime, and related offenses.
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Anyone with information on their location is asked to contact 9-1-1, if appropriate, or the non-emergency number at 215-328-8519. Information may also be provided to Officer Scott Hall at 215-949-9126, or via email at s.hall@fallstwppd.com. Anonymous tips may be provided at 215-949-9120, or via email at tiplines@fallstwppd.com.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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