Deputies arrest man in $510K stolen power line case
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Downed power lines are pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Downed power lines are pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap.
Deputies arrested an Ooltewah man in connection with one of the region’s largest cases of critical infrastructure vandalism and theft of electric grid components, officials said.
Joel Donald Brown, 49, was arrested and charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after officials said he repeatedly trespassed onto the Volunteer Ammunition property and caused damage exceeding $510,000 in costs. Between late 2024 and August 2025, Brown allegedly cut down power poles and removed the de-energized high-voltage aluminum cables, according to a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Investigators found receipts showing Brown sold almost 8 miles of aluminum cable as scrap, valued at more than $412,000, officials said.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, faces five charges, two of which include critical infrastructure vandalism and felony theft, according to officials, after the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office alleged Brown stole and sold aluminum power cables.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Downed power lines are pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Downed power lines are pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / A downed power pole is pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Downed power lines are pictured. Officials allege Joel Donald Brown, 49, of Ooltewah, cut down power poles at the Volunteer Ammunition property and removed and sold the aluminum cable for scrap.
Brown was arrested after a traffic stop Sunday and is charged with critical infrastructure vandalism, theft and aggravated criminal trespassing in connection with the investigation. He also faces two unrelated charges for domestic assault and false imprisonment.
