A Nelsonville man was arrested on Monday, Nov. 10, for allegedly cutting the telephone wire that serves the Putnam County sheriff’s substation at 276 Main St. in Nelsonville.
Sixty-year-old George Duncan lives adjacent to the substation and is Nelsonville’s building inspector. He was charged with felony criminal mischief in the third degree. If convicted he could face up to four years in state prison, be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and be ordered to pay for the cost of the damage.
A press release from the Putnam County sheriff alleges that at some point on Monday, Duncan intentionally cut a phone wire on the outside of the substation, disrupting telephone and computer service there. He was arrested at his home later that day and arraigned before Nelsonville Justice Dennis Zenz, who released him on his own recognizance.
A call to Duncan was not returned.
