Leroy Raymond Yeoman, 31, and Shane Robert Donovan, 22, were arrested Wednesday afternoon after an NV Energy employee reported witnessing the men cutting up a passive reflector microwave tower located in the mountains east of Sedge Road.
According to the arrest report, the NV Energy employee was dispatched to the tower location after the company lost the microwave feed from Geiger Grade. When he arrived, he said he observed the subjects cutting up the tower with a power saw and loading the metal in a pickup truck and trailer. The employee said the men admitted tearing it down for scrap.
After deputies arrived, Yeoman allegedly told them that he thought the tower was abandoned because it was tipped over a little the day before. The NV Energy employee stated that wasn't possible since they would have lost the microwave feed earlier if it had been tipped.
The estimated cost to replace the tower is between $100,000 and $150,000.
Both Yeoman and Donovan were charged with felony grand larceny and felony destruction of property. Bail for each was set at $25,000.