Two Pineville Men Arrested After Cutting Phone Lines to Local Community

From The Bell County Ky Sheriff's Department -

Early Friday morning, August 8, 2025, Bell County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Owens was on patrol on Highway 987 in the Brownies Creek community when he observed a suspicious vehicle leaving an abandoned house.

Deputy Owens noticed that the vehicle registration plate had a plastic shopping bag covering it so as to keep it hidden, which caused the deputy to initiate a traffic stop.

Upon contact with the driver, 53-year-old Tommy Lewis of Pineville, Deputy Owens noticed his passenger, 51-year-old Timothy Richardson, also of Pineville, was sweating and out of breath. Richardson also had a flashlight on top of his head. Upon checking the back seat for other occupants, Deputy Owens saw cut phone wire in plan view. Due to this, both men were detained, and a search of the vehicle was conducted.

The search revealed rolls of cut phone line, numerous tools, straps, homemade grabbing hooks, and a hand come-along winch. Lewis and Richardson were then placed under arrest.

Tommy Lewis was charged with criminal mischief in the 1st degree - tampering with or in possession of infrastructure, a class D felony, possession of burglary tools, a misdemeanor, and license plate improperly displayed .

Timothy Richardson was charged with criminal mischief in the 1st degree - tampering with or in possession of infrastructure, and possession of burglary tools.

Deputy Christopher Owens is in charge of the investigation.