Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Douglas Wayne TinkerA recent string of power line vandalism could contribute to an increase in the price of electricity for customers in Chattanooga.
EPB became aware of the first incident at the end of August 2021 and hired a private investigator to aid in the police investigation, according to utility spokesperson J. Ed Marston.
"We take this very seriously, whenever something like this happens," Martson said in a telephone interview. "[The vandalism] causes damage to the system, to power - causing the cost for the customer to go up."
(READ MORE: Chattanooga's EPB ranks first in the nation for utilities)
Douglas Wayne Tinker, 51, was arrested Jan. 12 by Chattanooga police after a call about a pole falling at the 1500 block of Riverside Drive. According to the arrest affidavit, Tinker's vehicle was stuck under the downed pole, and he said it had just fallen.
Responding officers found bolt cutters in Tinker's vehicle, and upon further investigation, determined there was no way a pole could "just fall" unless it was tampered with, the affidavit said.
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"There have been several vandalism complaints," said department spokesperson Jeremy Eames in a telephone interview. "However, this is the only case that Tinker has been connected to."
Eames said Tinker is not cooperating with police.
Damages made to the pole are estimated to be $20,000
(READ MORE: December heating bills in Chattanooga could spike $10 for typical EPB customers)
According to Marston, authorities were able to track down Tinker with help of security footage as well as the help of small business owners in the community.
"I'm very thankful for cameras and people around the community that helped gather information," Marston said.
When asked if wires were cut because of some material value, Marston said it was "purely an act of vandalism" because guy wires have nothing of value in them.
Tinker is being charged with critical infrastructure vandalism over $10,000. He is free on a $15,000 bond. Attempts to contact Tinker or determine whether he has hired an attorney were unsuccessful.
Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.