Two men were arrested Wednesday and charged with breaking and entering in connection with a burglary at a remote West Virginia Public Broadcasting tower facility on Kopperston Mountain, reports CBS affiliate WVNS in Ghent, W. Va.
Wyoming County Sheriff Randall Aliff said arrests were made after the public identified the men on a surveillance video that aired on WVNS. Keith Dotson and Joe Torres are being held on $20,000 bond each.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting Executive Director Scott Finn told Current that the break-in occurred around 4 a.m. Sept. 18 in the main building of a tower site, and a nearby generator shed. Items stolen included several space heaters and part of the microwave generator. The theft did not disrupt broadcast service, Finn said. The items were later recovered by law enforcement officers.
The pubcasting network has 27 towers throughout the state, many in mountainous and rural areas. Security is a challenge, Finn said. “From time to time this happens,” despite high fences, locks and surveillance cameras.