Following further investigation into the theft of copper telephone lines, K-9 Deputy Chris Carter, lead investigator in the Highland Telephone copper theft investigation, made a second arrest on Saturday, August 22.
Saturday’s arrest follows Carter’s arrest of Jimmy Douglas on August 2, 2026, as a result of a dispatch report regarding a male subject allegedly stealing copper wire in a remote area of Pine Knot, Kentucky.
K-9 Deputy Carter and Deputy Ryan Jones interviewed several individuals as part of the investigation. Information provided by community members led investigators to a scrap yard in Williamsburg where the stolen copper had reportedly been sold.
Carter and Jones obtained several receipts from the scrap yard, along with the name of another individual believed to have been involved in selling the copper. Investigators subsequently interviewed the second suspect and, several days later, asked the individual to come to the Sheriff’s Office for a formal interview.
During that interview, the suspect reportedly revealed that he and Jimmy Douglas had sold approximately 500 pounds of copper for approximately $2,000 over the past few months. The suspect also admitted that he and Douglas cut down telephone lines on two or three occasions.
According to Carter, the suspect further stated that Douglas had returned to the same location alone several times, while the suspect also admitted to going to the site alone on multiple occasions. The two reportedly agreed to split the profits from the copper sales.
As a result, on Saturday, August 22, K-9 Deputy Chris Carter and Deputy Ryan Jones arrested Justin Bowles, 39, of Wild Bill Stephens Road in Pine Knot, Kentucky.
Bowles was transported to the McCreary County Sheriff’s Office for processing before being lodged in the Knox County Detention Center.
When asked whether additional arrests could be expected, Deputy Carter stated that the investigation remains ongoing.
Jimmy Douglas and Justin Bowles have both been charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking, $1,000 to $10,000, a Class D felony under Kentucky law, pursuant to KRS 514.030.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.