Detective Tyree Davis told The Spin the men allegedly worked on trying to get the change out for two hours. The boxes are so well made, Davis said, they failed.
Davis said in a news release he and Deputy Earl Richardson responded to the area of Buttercup Lane in Roanoke Rapids on a suspicious activity call.
When Richardson arrived on the scene he heard a banging noise coming from a nearby cornfield. Richardson went into the field and located Thomas Olya Green, 41, and John William Butler, 34, both from the Community Home Park area of Roanoke Rapids breaking into the change box on a pay phone.
Davis arrived shortly after and processed the scene. He also interviewed the men. Davis said Green and Butler both admitted to not only breaking into the pay phone but also stealing it. Corporal Stanley Rodwell and Richardson located three other stolen pay phones in the area.
Deputy Chris High canvassed the area and identified and located the van used to pull the pay phone out of the ground and then transport it. “It was not just the phone that Green and Butler stole but the entire booth,” Davis said. “Part of the cement foundation was still attached to the phone booth when it was recovered. Three of the phone booths were previously reported stolen by Embarq, which were returned to them at the scene.”
The other phone booth was recovered and was to be returned to a private contract company. “As a result of good sheriff work, Deputy Richardson, Deputy High and Corporal Rodwell were able to clear four different larceny cases with arrests,” Davis said.
Butler and Green were each charged with three counts of larceny, three counts possession of stolen goods and three counts of damage to a coin operated machine. They were both given $5,000 bonds and their court date is set for Nov.4.
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