Copper thieves bring down 500-foot Oklahoma radio tower

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13. Sabotage for copper: Vandals bring down a 500-foot tower in Oklahoma, costing $500,000 in damages

Sabotage for copper: Vandals bring down a 500-foot tower in Oklahoma, costing $500,000 in damages

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator / January 17, 2024


THIEVES TOPPLED THIS 500-foot guyed tower in Oklahoma in order to quickly remove its three-inch coax by zipping through hanger kit bolts with a sawzall. (Photo: Will Payne video screenshots)


Candace Logan and Matt Wilson were arrested within two days after they allegedly toppled a broadcast tower to strip it of copper.

Update: January 18, 2024 – Within two days after a 500-foot broadcast tower was sabotaged in Hugo, Oklahoma in order to strip the felled sections of coaxial lines for their copper, two Choctaw County residents have been arrested in connection to the incident, according to Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park.

Park said that the arrests were through the joint efforts of the Hugo and Paris Police Departments as well as an informant who provided details that led to the arrest.


Matthew Wilson and Candace Logan

They charged 37-year-old Matthew Wilson and 34-year-old Candice Logan with theft and vandalism. The radio station owner estimated damage to the station to be $500,000. The pair may also face federal charges as the investigation continues.
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Communications tower copper thieves will frequently climb the structure to remove transmission lines, strip its copper, and sell it to a metal scrap dealer. An individual or thieves in Hugo, Oklahoma, bypassed the labor-intensive climb early Tuesday morning and felled a 500-foot solid rod tower by cutting a guy wire to remove transmission lines quickly. ... The cost to replace the structure, a generator, and other equipment was estimated at $500,000.

Historically, the country’s vandals have toppled towers for the vicarious thrill, a vendetta, or to make an environmental statement. However, this is only the second known incident where it was done to facilitate the easy removal of copper. In 2008, according to Wireless Estimator reporting, thieves attempting to steal copper coaxial cables from a Tracy City, Tennessee 360-foot guyed tower, cut the guy wires, and caused the entire structure to collapse.

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