Man who posed as DOT worker charged with attempting to steal wire from CT highway light poles

A Massachusetts man who posed as a worker with the Connecticut Department of Transportation has been charged with allegedly attempting to steal copper wiring from light poles on a highway in Manchester, police said.

John Seeley, 49, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested on Interstate 384 on Monday after someone called 911 to report a person dressed as a construction worker behaving suspiciously, according to Connecticut State Police.

Troopers responded to I-384 at 8:20 a.m. and found a U-Haul pickup truck parked on the right shoulder near Exit 3. Nearby, Seeley was allegedly pulling wires from DOT light poles while wearing reflective construction gear and a hard hat, state police said.

State police said Seeley was putting the wiring into the bed of the truck. The back license plate on the truck was covered with a piece of clothing, police said, but Seeley allegedly removed it before speaking with troopers.

Seeley reportedly told troopers that he had been hired by the DOT as a subcontractor but could not provide any documentation to prove it, state police said in a statement.

A supervisor from the DOT came to the scene and told investigators that no work was scheduled in that area and Seeley had not been hired by the department, according to state police.

DOT representatives told police that several light poles had been found with damaged or missing wire, but further investigation was needed to determine “the full scope of the damage.”

Investigators found that Seeley “had damaged state property in an attempt to illegally remove copper wiring.” He was arrested and charged with negligent use of a highway by a pedestrian, first-degree criminal mischief, first degree attempted larceny, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to display license plates and improper parking, police said.

He was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned in Manchester on Tuesday.

In a statement following Seeley’s arrest, state police encouraged anyone who sees suspicious activity to report it to police.