A Dayton man was sentenced to 36 months in prison for slashing RTA wires back in July.
Christopher Wilson Howard, 38, of Dayton, was seen on surveillance footage cutting RTA trolley lines on Monday, July 20. His actions caused $17,000 worth of damage to the lines.
When Dayton police located Howard, they discovered he was in possession of cocaine.
On July 30, he was charged with one offense of vandalism, one count of vandalism on government property, and one count of possessing criminal tools.
He was later convicted on all counts in the indictment and entered a guilty plea by bill of information to one count of cocaine possession.
Today, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay the Greater Dayton RTA $17,000 in reparations.
“This defendant cut high-voltage copper wires with the intention to steal it and sell it for scrap,” said Prosecutor Mat Heck. “Not only does this activity harm the RTA, but it disrupts bus service. In addition, the RTA trolley lines are capable of causing instant death if improperly handled. We will vigorously pursue anyone caught vandalizing RTA power lines.”
Leave a Reply