Three Fayette County men were arrested after police said they stole more than 400 feet of telephone line and left behind a court custody notice identifying one of them, along with a receipt for tools that may have been used to remove the lines.

State police in Belle Vernon were called to the 400 block of Rush Run Road in Luzerne just before noon April 19 for a report of three men in a dark SUV stealing wire from telephone poles. Officers discovered a section of about 450 feet of Verizon telephone line had been removed.

Police canvassing the scene discovered a court custody notice for a Kalen M. Barkley, 39, of Grindstone on the ground near where the cables had been cut, and a Harbor Freight receipt with a customer’s name, David Emery, detailing a recent purchase of work gloves, saw blades and an outdoor extension cord, according to court documents.

On April 20, police worked with nearby Metalico Scrap Yard in Brownsville and learned that Barkley had sold them just over 3 pounds of No. 2 copper, which is used in Verizon’s telephone lines and frequently is resold to scrap yards.

On the same day, police made contact with Barkley at a Redstone gas station, where he and a second man, Arram J. Nelson, 28, of Brownsville, both admitted to the cable theft, according to court records. Police also recovered two pairs of bolt cutters and metal cutting shears from Barkley’s vehicle. Some of the cable was recovered.

Barkley and Nelson, along with David Emery, 41, of Brownsville, were all charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft of secondary metal, receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit theft. There is a warrant for Emery’s arrest.

Police said they are also seeking a fourth suspect, who was not identified in the criminal complaint.

Barkley was unable to post bail and was taken to the Fayette County Prison. A May 1 preliminary hearing is scheduled in Judge Nathan Henning’s Lemont Furnace court.

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