MANNING, S.C. (AP) - A couple accused of posing as electrical workers and stealing power lines for the copper cable caused an outage in a South Carolina neighborhood, according to authorities.
Michael Wayne Buttery, 58, and Kimberly Kay Buttery, 55, of Summerville, were both charged with obtaining non-specious metals unlawfully, Clarendon County Sheriff Timothy Baxley told The State on Tuesday.
The sheriff said the two used a white Ford service truck with a bucket on the back to resemble the appearance of an official power company vehicle, then tampered with the lines to take the copper wiring.
Power crews responding to an outage near Manning discovered power lines had been cut down and copper wire had been stripped from the poles, the newspaper said. Someone later reported that a truck was seen near power lines in the area. The truck led investigators to the Butterys, and deputies discovered tools that were likely used in the theft, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The couple could face additional counts of tampering with telephone lines, officials said. It was not clear whether the two had attorneys who could comment for them.
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