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A Buena Vista man is facing several vandalism charges in both Buena Vista and Rockbridge County in relation to a series of incidents of damage to public utilities over a two-week period last month.
Dylan Shane Conner, 28, was arrested on Tuesday, May 30, following an investigation by a joint investigative team comprised of members of the Buena Vista Police Department and Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office.
Conner was initially charged with two felony counts of damaging public services or utilities and one misdemeanor count of trespassing by the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s office in connection with vandalism done at the landfill communications tower on Landfill Road, where U.S. Cellular and Rockbridge Regional Public Safety Communication Center equipment was damaged on May 28. Deputy Chief Tony McFaddin confirmed to The News-Gazette on Friday that the investigation is still ongoing.
On June 1, Buena Vista also filed charges against Conner, charging him with nine felony counts of damaging public utilities and nine counts of unlawful entry in relation to the vandalism incidents throughout the city between May 18 and May 30.
The first incident, on May 18, occurred at the Rockbridge Regional Public Safe- ty Communications Center on Baner Lane, where the emergency communications tower was vandalized. McFaddin said that the damage did not affect emergency communications because the system has “multiple redundancies built in” to prevent that from happening.
A pair of cell phone towers were vandalized over that weekend, with one at 1700 Sycamore Ave. having multiple pieces of equipment vandalized around 3 a.m. on Friday, May 26, and on Saturday afternoon, around 1:30, a cell phone tower in the area of 33rd Street was vandalized. Both instances resulted in cell service in and around Buena Vista being interrupted.
Other incidents of vandalism being investigated include damage to the Buena Vista city water supply tank on May 27, fiber optic cable vandalism at the city’s wastewater treatment plant between May 22 and May 24 and vandalism to power lines in the area of 12th and 13th streets between May 26 and May 30.
Conner is being held without bond in the Rockbridge Regional Jail. A preliminary hearing on the Rockbridge County charges has been scheduled for Aug. 2 in Rockbridge County General District Court. A hearing has not been scheduled on the Buena Vista charges.
