Warrants issued for copper wire theft

VERNAL — Arrest warrants have been issued for three Colorado men who are accused of stealing more than 20 miles of copper wire from telephone poles in eastern Uintah County.

John Michael Parks, 47, Nathaneal Lee Richardson, 31, and Karl Ray Wakefield, 31, were charged Oct. 20 in 8th District Court with one count each of theft, a second-degree felony.

A representative from Strata Networks contacted Uintah County sheriff's investigators in late August to report that the telecommunications company was missing 20 miles of copper transmission line from its poles. The missing line spanned from the Green River Bridge near Jensen to the Old Bonanza Highway and then south into the oil and natural gas fields of Uintah County, according to court records.

Deputies said they visited a metal recycling center in Vernal, where they obtained samples of copper wire that matched the missing wire.

A recycling center employee said the wire had been purchased from Parks, Wakefield and a third man, court records state.

Parks and Richardson are each being sought on a $10,000 arrest warrant, while Wakefield is being sought on a $20,000 arrest warrant.

— Geoff Liesik