Power Outage in Vinton Caused by Alleged Wire Theft by Two Men

A few neighborhoods in Vinton went without power on May 2. The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office got a call about someone trying to steal the wire off of telephone poles in the area. Upon arrival, deputies say they located the suspects and the truck they were using. The truck had the electrical wire attached to its bumper. The wire was already loose and hanging before it was attached to the bumper of the truck.

After wrapping the wire from the telephone pole around the truck's bumper, it was put in drive and an attempt to pull the wire down was made. Authorities stated that, as the suspects pulled on the wire, it resulted in the entire telephone pole falling over. As the pole fell, it knocked the electricity out to surrounding neighborhoods in the proximity.

Spencer Conner, 48, and Gene Constance, 43, were arrested for criminal damage to property and theft less than $1,000. After further investigation, Constance was also in possession of marijuana, pills, and other drug paraphernalia. He was additionally charged with three counts of possession of CDS IV, possession of a legend drug, and possession of paraphernalia. Conner's bond was set at $11,000 while Constance's bond is at $20,500.