A former telecoms contractor has been charged with stealing more than 900 backup batteries used at cell towers across Phoenix, Arizona.
As reported by AZCentral, Andres Samuel Contreras, 29, faces 27 felony charges after his alleged theft threatened emergency communications during power outages.
An indictment against Contreras accuses him of stealing more than 900 backup batteries from 66 T-Mobile cell tower sites between August 2024 and February 2025, resulting in over $330,000 in damages.
Each battery weighs 100 pounds and retails for $300 or more. The batteries are required for maintaining cellular connectivity during power outages.
Without the batteries, cell towers are unable to function, potentially impacting access to 911 and other emergency services.
A former Northstar Towers worker, Contreras reportedly used his access to the towers to carry out the thefts. Northstar carries out tower servicing work for US carrier T-Mobile.
He didn't work at Northstar at the time of the theft, but instead used his ID badge and company jacket to deliver and sell the batteries to Southwest Batteries, a battery specialist in Buckeye. He told police he sold the batteries for as little as $20 per battery.
Indictment charges against Contreras include felony burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, and trafficking in stolen property. He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Because of his previous work at T-Mobile sites he only targeted T-Mobile cell towers, he told police, though couldn't remember exact dates or locations.
Following a search warrant, police were able to recover about 500 of the stolen batteries from Southwest Batteries, court records said.
