Man who snagged power lines cited for violations

Published 11:13 am Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A Taopi man hauling a radio tower that snagged a power line on Sunday was cited for more moving violations on Monday.

According to the Mower County Sheriff’s Department, Ron Crews of Taopi obtained the proper moving permits on Monday after he originally snagged a power line in Lansing while hauling a very large radio tower on Sunday.

Crews said the structure touched the power line, but he was able to get underneath it. However, law enforcement stopped him underneath the power line for about an hour and half on Sunday. Crews then drove forward and left the structure outside of Lansing, he said. Crews attempted to move the item again by a different route on Monday after he obtained the proper permits from the county; however, a Department of Transportation Officer stopped Crews because he did not have escort vehicles while moving the tower.

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Crews said Monday afternoon that he is upset because he obtained the proper permit, which did not list at what size load one needs to arrange a vehicle escort. Therefore, he attempted to move the item again.

“They never specified if I did or didn’t need escort,” Crews said.

Crews said he had to cut down a branch near a power line on Monday to get underneath and said he did touch that power line but did not get hung up on it. He was later pulled over by the DOT officer.

Crews could be cited for at least 30 different moving violations, deputies said, and maintained that traffic escorts were a key component of the moving permit. Deputies said Crews moved the tower again on Monday before speaking with them. The radio tower now sits on a private piece of property and will still need to be moved or dismantled. Crews was reportedly hauling for Wallace Bustad and taking the tower to his shed in Lansing. Crews said he hoped to reload the tower on a different trailer on Monday and comply with Mower County officials’ suggestions.

The case has been forwarded to the County Attorney’s office for charges.