(10/13/04 - HOUSTON) — Because of vandals you may have had trouble getting a signal on your cell phone or heard static on your favorite radio station Tuesday.
Eleven communication towers in Harris County were broken into and vandalized over the past few weeks. The culprits also targeted four towers in Montgomery County this past weekend.
Investigators say the intruders target the electronic equipment inside, causing thousands of dollars in damages.
"It seems pretty much every time they go in there they unplug something and they start damaging them until the lights go off and flickering," said Sgt. Jeffrey Stauber with the Harris County Sheriff's Department. "They know they caused enough damage and then they leave"
Because of the damage, some cell phone customers lost service and two radio stations were knocked off the air.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about these break-ins to call Crime Stoppers at 713 222-TIPS.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/101304_local_celltowers.html
Investigators said vandals have broken into more than a dozen cell phone and radio towers in northern Harris and southern Montgomery counties and have damaged more than $100,000 of property.
Authorities said the vandals broke in late at night or during the early morning hours by cutting through locks and barbed wire. Once inside, they reportedly broke light bulbs and flipped breakers, causing service problems.
"They're just basically going in there and damaging the equipment and in some cases unplugging the service, which is shutting it down," Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jeff Stauber said.
The FBI has been called to help out with the investigation. Agents believe the crimes are connected, but the motive remains unknown.
Investigators said they do not suspect terrorism. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS. link includes video. http://www.click2houston.com/news/3805234/detail.html