ST. LOUIS – Three men remain jailed following two separate investigations into wire theft in tornado-damaged neighborhoods in north St. Louis in recent days.
According to probable cause statements from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the thefts occurred June 4 and June 6.
In the first incident, a police officer was working a disaster relief shift when he saw black powerline cable in the bed of a moving pickup truck in the 1100 block of Walton Avenue, in the Fountain Park neighborhood. There were no front or rear license plates on the truck.
The officer pulled the truck over and took the driver, Alto L. Powell, 64, into custody. Ameren Missouri confirmed that the wire belonged to them. Police said the officer also found a substance that later tested as cocaine base in Powell’s truck.
In the second incident, officers pulled over a pickup with expired dealer plates near Marcus and Maffitt avenues in the Kingsway East neighborhood. Officers found downed power lines and aluminum siding in the truck bed.
The driver, Rodney N. Jones, 58, told one officer the wire and siding had come from the rear of his home, and he was keeping it in his truck for the time being. The passenger, Camerin Swinson, 27, told a different officer that they were taking the wire to a scrapyard. An AT&T representative confirmed the wiring in the truck belong to their company.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Powell with stealing – $750 or more and possession of a controlled substance. Powell is slated to appear in court on Monday, July 7 for a hearing.
Prosecutors charged both Jones and Swinson with stealing – $750 or more. Jones remains jailed on a $20,000 cash-only bond. He’s due in court on June 9. Swinson was released on personal recognizance. He has a bond hearing scheduled for June 17.