FBI offers $5K reward for suspects who damaged communications towers in Wichita Falls

A $5,000 reward has been offered by the FBI for information on suspects who sabotaged two communication towers in Wichita Falls in December. One 500-foot-tall tower collapsed to the ground.

A second 1,200-foot-tall tower did not fall, but it was damaged to the point where authorities evacuated a nearby business.

Some of the agencies that used the towers included PBS station KERA in Dallas, the National Weather Service, and Wichita Falls Fox affiliate KFDX.

The reward is for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspects.

On the morning of Dec. 18, one or more people cut several wires that supported the two towers, and gusty winds toppled one tower, according to KERA. That tower was in the 3700 block of Arena Road in Wichita Falls. The city is about 115 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

The second damaged tower, which was 1,200 feet tall, was on Seymour Highway.

Investigators believe if the tower on Seymour Highway had fallen on the business or highway, injuries or fatalities could have resulted.

“Along with the Wichita Falls Police Department, we take this investigation seriously and are committed to protecting the infrastructure that connects our community,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno in a Monday news release.

Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers also is offering a reward of up to $1,500.

Anyone with information should call the FBI’s Dallas office at 972-559-500 or Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 940-322-9888. Information can also be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.