Reston Traffic Stop Yields Suspects in Alleged Cable TV Battery Thefts

PHOTOS: Police have arrested Edwin Price, 44, of Bethlehem and Jason Drobnoek, 29, of Altoona, Penn., and charged them with grand larceny, stolen property with intent to sell, as well as false identification charges. They were transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

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Two Pennsylvania men are suspects in dozens of thefts of heavy-duty cable TV batteries that have gone missing across the county, according to Fairfax County Police.

The two were nabbed for the alleged thefts after they were pulled over recently on a traffic charge in Reston.

Detectives from the McLean Police District charged the two Pennsylvania men with stealing cable TV batteries.

An officer stopped the men on Thursday, Feb. 5, on a traffic charge around 2:30 a.m. on Ring Road, near Weihle Avenue, according to police. The officer noticed several large cable box batteries, a bit larger than a typical car battery, in the vehicle, police noted in a news release. He followed up with detectives in the McLean District with the information.

Police had been on the lookout for such thefts, after they were notified by Cox Communications about a rash of battery thefts, according to police.

There had been roughly 185 batteries stolen from all across the county, predominantly in the western portions of Fair Oaks, Reston and Sully since late December 2014, Fairfax County Police said.

The batteries serve as a back-up when power goes out, so customers won’t lose cable service, police noted. The batteries are specially made for the communications industry.

Thieves typically steal them, along with other utility tools, for their scrap metal value. They weigh around 80 pounds each and likely would require some electrical, or wiring, expertise to remove from their power supply cabinets.

Police arrested Edwin Price, 44, of Bethlehem and Jason Drobnoek, 29 , of Altoona, Penn., and charged them with grand larceny, stolen property with intent to sell, as well as false identification charges. They were transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.