Police in West Valley City say they have broken a theft ring that was stealing backup batteries providing reserve electricity for cable, broadband and 911 phone service.
Six felonies charges have been filed against one person, and a news release from West Valley City said prosecutors are considering charges for 10 more. The group is accused of stealing alpha-cell batteries, valued at $180 each, from Comcast.
The batteries were stored at locations in West Valley City and elsewhere on the Wasatch Front to provide emergency power for Comcast services. The news release says the thieves would sell the batteries for recycling scrap and collect $15 or $20 for each battery.
A break came in July when detectives were able to find the driver of a truck suspected in the thefts. The driver provided police with information about the thefts, the news release said.
The following month, Comcast placed some “bait” batteries in locations to trick the thieves into taking what were actually tracking devices. That allowed police to track the thieves and figure out where the real batteries had been taken.
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