Two men arrested for stealing copper wire from a well location.

| by Travis Uresk | May 6^th, 2026 |

Uintah County (5/4/26)—On 4/30/26, Deputy A. Russell responded to a report of theft in the area of 6750 S 6000 E, a well location for stolen copper wire.

When the deputy arrived on scene, several electrical wires had been cut, and a machine had been damaged due to the wires being cut in multiple places.

Deputy Russell photographed the scene and all the damage.

On May 2^nd, 2026, Deputy A. Russell responded to the same address for a similar issue. When he arrived, the power transformer above the machine had wires removed, now hanging on the ground. The complainant stated he had painted the ends of the unbolted wires that were left on the ground orange.

On May 3^rd, 2026, the deputy again responded to the same address and observed that 11 of the 12 wires connected to the transformer had been cut; nine of the 11 cut wires were no longer on scene.

On May 4^th, 2026, Basin Recycling had been notified that the Sheriff's Office was investigating a theft of copper wire painted orange. Deputy A. Russell received a tip from Basin Recycling that two individuals had come in to turn in some large copper wire with orange spray paint.

The manager told the deputy that two people had come in, but one had left on foot several minutes ago. The manager took the deputy to a back room to view the cameras. While reviewing footage, another Deputy made contact with the male, and Deputy A. Russell made his way to their location.

When he arrived at their location, he was informed that the male was 41-year-old Joshua Wayne Owens who had been identified by the other deputy. He asked Joshua how he had come by the wire they had tried to leave at the recycling plant. Joshua explained that he had been hired to clean up a property and that his payment would be in copper.

The deputy then asked Joshua who had hired him to clean up the property, and he said he did not know the person's name. The deputy asked if he could explain to him where he had gone to clean up this property. Joshua’s response was that he is not good with directions.

Deputy Russell arrived at the recycling center and met with a 23-year-old male, Ryland Simpson. He stated he had been cleaning a yard for a man named Robbie, but was unsure of Robbie's last name, and explained that he had been cleaning a property and had picked up the copper wire as part of the cleaning process. Ryland then explained that his payment for cleaning the property was that he could keep the wire.

The deputy told Rylan that the wire had been stolen and asked if he had any knowledge of the fact that the wire was stolen. Ryland said he did not know and reiterated that he had been paid by wire for cleaning the property.

The deputy was able to observe the copper wire that was painted orange, and that nine cables were turned into the scrap yard, during an inventory of Ryland's vehicle with the same type of coating that was left at the scene of the theft in the trunk of the car, along with several tools, including wrenches, ratchets, and sockets.

Ryland was charged with theft due to the vehicle being registered and operated by Ryland and the evidence found inside, and with criminal mischief for damaging the business's critical infrastructure.

Joshua was transported to the Uintah County Jail. While at the jail, Deputy Russell noticed the shoes Joshua was wearing matched the footprints that he had photographed at the scene of the theft.

During the investigation, it was learned that Joshua had recently borrowed a power saw from a nearby resident.

Joshua is being charged with theft, due to his admitting to having the wire and having evidence placing Joshua at the scene, and criminal mischief due to being on private property and causing damage to the infrastructure.