By Patti Weaver
STILLWATER — Two men and three women, who reportedly lived together in Cushing, have been jailed pending their court appearance this week on charges of possessing stolen copper wire specific to AT&T telephone and utility lines.
“There have been multiple recent thefts of suspended AT&T phone lines in and around Cushing to include the lines directly north of 738 E. Maple Street in the alley,” Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers alleged in affidavits.
“During some of the thefts, fiber optic lines were cut that disabled the 911 system and public safety communications, creating a substantial risk to the safety of the citizens when seconds count,” the affidavits said.
Two men, Gary Wayne Nichols, 56, and Jason Maurice Reyes, 48, who allegedly stole suspended wire at night, have been ordered held on $100,000 bond each, according to their charges filed last week.
In addition to his stolen copper possession count, Nichols has been accused of illegally permitting the cultivation of 29 marijuana plants on land at his residence, as well as possessing methamphetamine and a smoking pipe. If convicted of all four counts, Nichols could be incarcerated for 17 years and fined $52,500, court records show.
Along with his stolen copper possession count, Reyes has been accused of having drug paraphernalia consisting of three syringes and a methamphetamine pipe. If convicted of both counts, Reyes could be incarcerated for six years and fined $1,500, court records show.
Zalda Renee Wikel, 51, has been ordered held on $50,000 bond on a single count of possessing stolen copper punishable by up to five years in prison and a $500 fine.
Judy Raeann Oyler, 22, and her twin sister, Jade Marlee Oyler, 22 have been ordered held on $20,000 bond each for allegedly possessing stolen copper, along with having methamphetamine and a smoking pipe. If convicted of their three-count charges, the twins could each be incarcerated for seven years and fined $2,500, court records show.
The sheriff’s investigator wrote in affidavits that at 8:23 pm on April 11, “I received a report of suspected copper wire theft west of Kings Hwy. on Eseco Road in rural Payne County. A deputy responded to the area and located a ski mask near discarded copper wire sheathing. At the time, I could not identify a filed incident report for the theft or confirm the utility provider victim.”
On April 14 at 3:43 pm, Cushing Animal Control Officer Amanda Murie said she saw “an unidentified female stripping copper wire in the backyard of 738 E. Maple Street during a routine call. Subsequent investigation confirmed AT&T as the victim of the April 12th theft, and an AT&T technician reviewed the photograph (taken by Murie) and verified the wire as proprietary telephone line material,” the investigator’s affidavit alleged.
On April 15, the investigator obtained a search warrant from Payne County Associate District Judge Michael Kulling for the house that was served the next morning with assistance from sheriff’s deputies and Cushing police, the affidavit said. The five defendants confirmed as residents were detained along with a man, who was later released as a non-resident, the affidavit said.
“On the kitchen floor, we found single-strand copper wire matching AT&T telephone lines,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit. Various tools commonly used to steal and process copper wire were discovered including a backpack in the laundry room containing wire-cutting tools and binoculars, the affidavit alleged.
“In the backyard, we found matching wire and sheathing in a metal bucket, as well as a green backpack with J-hook tow straps consistent with wire theft methods. In the unattached garage, we located empty black sheathing with steel support wire (proprietary to AT&T) and a plastic tote containing de-sheathed copper and low-value support wire.
“On the east side of the garage was an old heavy-gauge steel outdoor grill used to melt the sheathing from the wire. There was a black rubber bucket next to the grill that contained stripped copper wire and pieces of the multi-colored AT&T sheathing. Three poly cart trash cans along the curb in front of the residence contained a large amount of discarded wire sheathing. In one of the trash cans was a large black trash bag that was full of the AT&T colored sheathing,” the affidavit alleged.
Methamphetamine pipes, methamphetamine and syringes were found in the house; marijuana plants in the backyard exceeded the medical license limit of 12 total plants held by Nichols, the affidavit alleged.
“Interviews with the subjects revealed their collective participation in stripping stolen wire for resale. Gary Nichols and Jason Reyes reportedly would go out in the evening and steal suspended wire, and I was told how they used ropes to reach and pull down the lines, aligning with a green backpack with the tow straps inside,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
