Alleged Wire Thieves Have Day In Court

Six men who are accused of stealing tens of thousands in Verizon communication wire had their day in court on Thursday. Alleged ringleader Ryan Scott, 37, as well as Justin Fusarelli, 43, and Lawrence Bogo, 56, all of Avella, Donald Martin III, 36, of Bulger, Dennis Kinkela, 49, of Burgettstown, and Michael Hancher, 45, of Washington had their preliminary hearings before Judge Gary Havelka in Burgettstown. All the men had been charged with theft and criminal mischief. According to the police report, all the men were involved in a five-month scheme to steal copper wire from 11 different locations, 10 in Washington County and one in Allegheny County. Police say the men stripped the wire and sold it to scrap yards in Washington, as well as in West Virginia and Ohio. State police say between January and April, Scott made trips to the various scrap yards and sold more than 11,000 pounds of copper for $50,000. Kinkela and Martin allegedly sold nearly 2,000 pounds of copper for more than $7,000. Police say the men split the money. The total amount stolen is more than $60,000 and damages top $5,000. Their cases were sent to court for November 11 arraignment, and they were returned to Washington County Jail. One suspect, Allen Jackson, 28, of Wellsburg, West Virginia, has yet to go before a Judge.