Two men were arrested Monday for attempting to steal a highway light pole that apparently had been knocked down during Friday's storms, according to Maryland State Police.
An observant motorist called police just before 9 a.m. Monday after noticing something not quite right about a pickup truck that was stopped on the ramp from eastbound I-695 to southbound Route 2 in Glen Burnie, Md. The motorist told police that the truck had its hood up, but the two men there did not appear to be working on the truck or waiting for help due to a breakdown.
When a state trooper arrived, he said he didn't find a broken down truck, but rather a power inverter that had been hooked to the truck battery, which was being used to run a reciprocating saw, which the men were allegedly using to cut up the light pole. The trooper said a section of the pole was already loaded into the back of the truck.
The two men -- James A. Phaneuf, 46, of Brooklyn, Md., and Quincy R. Hawkins, 47, of Glen Burnie, Md. -- were arrested at the scene. Both were charged with theft over $1,000 and malicious destruction of property. After processing, they were taken to a court commissioner for bond hearings and were both released on recognizance.
State Highway Administration officials said the light pole was valued at $1,740 -- as well as the value it has in lighting the ramp for motorists at night.
