Cops Catch Construction Imposter Yanking Wire Off Light Poles: Report

MANCHESTER, CT — State police said they corralled a fake construction worker who was pulling wire from state Department of Transportation light poles on a stretch of highway in Manchester.

At 8:20 a.m. Monday, state troopers received a report about suspicious vehicle parked on the right shoulder on Interstate 384 in Manchester. The caller said a man, dressed as a construction worker, was pulling wires from the DOT light poles adjacent to the right shoulder of the roadway, according to an incident report.

Responding troopers located a U-Haul pickup truck parked on the right shoulder on the westbound side of I-384 in the area of Exit 3 in Manchester, according to an incident report. They saw a man wearing reflective construction gear and a hard hat putting copper wires into the bed of the pickup, according to an incident report.

The rear registration plate on the pickup truck was obstructed by a piece of clothing that the man removed prior to speaking with troopers, an incident report indicates.

The male, identified as, 49-year-old John Seeley, of Springfield, MA, told troopers that he was a sub-contractor for the DOT hired to perform work in the area, but he was unable to provide any documentation or information to verify his job assignment or employment, state police said.

A DOT supervisor responded to the scene and told investigators that Seeley had not been hired by the state and that no legitimate work was scheduled to be performed at that location, according to an incident report.

DOT representatives told state police that several light poles were damaged or had missing wires, but a detailed inspection would be necessary to ascertain the full scope of the damage, according to an incident report.

Seeley was taken into custody, transported to Troop H in Hartford and was charged with:

• Negligent use of a highway by a pedestrian
• First-degree criminal mischief (15 counts)
• Criminal attempt at larceny in the first degree
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Failure to display plates
• Improper parking

Seeley was held on a $100,000 cash/surety bond was to appear Tuesday in Manchester Superior Court.