Burlington Man Arrested at N.C. 62 Cell-Tower, Charged with Felony

Alamance County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a business alarm at a cell tower site on the 2600 block of N.C. 62 Highway and found a pickup truck backed up to an open gate with a man inside, officials reported. Deputies said they were dispatched at 4:36 p.m. on Feb. 22 and discovered the driver sitting in the vehicle when they arrived.

Deputies identified the driver as Joseph Taylor Glassford, 37, of Burlington. Glassford told deputies he had been dispatched by a vendor to investigate an audible alarm at the tower site, law enforcement reports say, but when asked he was unable to produce credentials. Deputies said Glassford provided the name of a person he claimed to work for; investigators called that person and were told Glassford had not been employed there for more than a year.

Following the on-scene verification, Glassford was arrested and charged with one count of Felony Breaking and Entering, according to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the Alamance County Detention Center and held on a $5,000 secured bond.

Industry reporting identified the site as a 260-foot self-supporting tower owned by SBA Communications and said authorities remained on site while a representative for the tower operator inspected the facility for possible damage. WirelessEstimator reported officials found no service interruption after the inspection. That outlet also noted the "vendor excuse - a claim law enforcement officials say is commonly made in unauthorized site access cases."

The arrest raises questions about access to critical telecommunications infrastructure along Highway 62 north of Burlington. Local agencies did not publish a longer statement or provide a court date in the incident reports available after the arrest, and public records at the time of reporting did not list a docket number or arraignment schedule. WirelessEstimator's account of the operator inspection and ownership was the only source to identify the tower’s height and operator.

Key details remain to be confirmed by the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office and the tower operator. Reporters and residents seeking clarity can note that the sheriff’s office listed the dispatch time as 4:36 p.m. on Feb. 22, that Glassford was charged with Felony Breaking and Entering, and that he was held on a $5,000 secured bond at the Alamance County Detention Center.