By Patric Hedlund

Roger Pool, 39 and Heath Poff, 37 of Lebec have both pled no contest to felony vandalism for cutting the telephone wires into O’Neil Canyon on November 17. They also pled no contest to possession of stolen property associated with thefts from Hungry Valley OHV State Park.

Kern County Deputy District Attorney Chris Staiger said December 21 that each of the men took a plea bargain for two years in prison.

“Mr. Pool and Mr. Poff both have prior convictions,” Staiger said, “We say they are doing life on the installment plan.”

Staiger reports the two were in possession of a large generator, a quantity of tools and a sign from Hungry Valley when they were arrested. The cutting of the telephone lines, which knocked out service to Los Padres Estates for over two days, was a bumbled attempt to steal wire for recycle.

“They did $25,000 in damage and put hundreds of people at risk” for the prospect of “a few hundred dollars in recycled metal to support their drug habits,” Staiger said. They were reported and fled before they were able to take the wire.

This is part of the December 24, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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