Man charged with arson and wire theft leading to AT&T outages
By Gregg Montgomery
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 36-year-old Indianapolis man has been charged with multiple felonies, including arson and theft, following an investigation into telecommunications wire thefts that AT&T reported in Indianapolis.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release issued Tuesday said a monthslong investigation of more than 80 incidents of telecommunications wire thefts led to the charging of Joshua Westervelt.
Chief Chris Bailey of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement in the release, “These thefts caused significant service disruptions and outages that directly affected our neighborhoods.”
According to court documents, IMPD investigators found that Westervelt pawned over 9,100 pounds of raw No. 2 copper wire in 2025, yielding $28,662.03. A local scrap dealer contacted authorities after Westervelt brought in 281 pounds of AT&T-burnt wiring for a transaction in August.
The investigation revealed that the Indianapolis Fire Department had been called to Westervelt’s home in the 800 block of Olney Street nearly 20 times this year due to the defendant allegedly burning wires in his backyard. Burnt rubber sheathing and wiring belonging to AT&T, as well as wire cutters, were found in Westervelt’s backyard and inside his home.
Online records from Marion Superior Court 7 show Westervelt was charged with two mid-level felony counts of arson damage and critical infrastructure mischief, and two low-level felony counts of theft of property worth more than $50,000, and criminal mischief resulting in interruption to a public utility. His initial hearing was Nov. 25, and the next hearing in his case, an attorney conference, was set for Dec. 18.
Jail records showed Westervelt remained in the Marion County jail on Tuesday afternoon. Jail and court records show he faces additional charges including drug possession.
An AT&T director said in a statement in the release that copper theft and vandalism of communications infrastructure are considered to be serious criminal matters. AT&T urged people to report any unmarked vehicles, or people cutting and removing cable to the police or AT&T Global Security at (800) 807‐4205.
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