A man with a history of stealing Verizon wires has been arrested twice in Lower Bucks County for similar crimes and recently pleaded guilty to another theft.
Samuel Delbuono Jr., 35, of Levittown, was arrested on Tuesday after police stopped his vehicle.
A witness saw a man cutting Verizon wires near Swamp Road and Twining Bridge Road in Newtown Township and called law enforcement, according to police.
An officer used a license plate reader to track his GMC pickup truck and Newtown and Lower Makefield townships’ police forces detained him.
Police said they found two wires and cutting tools in the truck.
Delbuono allegedly told police he found the wire on the ground.
Delbuono was charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft of secondary metal, receiving stolen property, and criminal mischief. On-call District Judge Regina Armitage held him on 10 percent of $50,000 bail.
Newtown Township police believe Delbuono may be linked to a similar theft of 300 feet of Verizon wire near Bucks County Community College on Swamp Road.
Just days earlier, on Saturday, Sept. 6, Delbuono was arrested by Falls Township police.
A 9-1-1 caller reported a man in a GMC pickup truck using a saw to cut wire near Penn Valley Road and Bristol Pike.
The witness followed the suspect, who was later identified as Delbuono, and watched him place the wire into the bed of the truck.
Police said they located a utility pole with a severed wire.
A Verizon employee confirmed the wire belonged to the company and estimated the material and repair costs at $4,000, police said.
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Delbuono allegedly admitted he was in the area at the time of the theft.
After his arrested by Falls Township police, Delbuono was charged with theft of secondary metal, criminal mischief, and receiving stolen property. He was preliminarily arraigned by District Judge John Galloway and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
On Monday, Delbuono appeared at the Bucks County Justice Center to plead guilty to charges related to a March theft in Falls Township.
Before Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Finley, he pleaded guilty to theft of secondary metal, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, and possession of an instrument of crime. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution to Verizon.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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