WILLIAMSON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Deputies with the Mingo County Sheriff’s Department, working in coordination with the West Virginia State Police, executed a search warrant Thursday at Big Frank’s Salvage Yard in Williamson following a months-long investigation into the theft of telecommunications wire throughout Mingo County.
According to authorities, the investigation began after multiple credible sources alleged the salvage yard was purchasing stolen telecommunications wire and exchanging it for cash.
During the investigation, officers used an undercover operative on separate occasions to deliver telecommunications wire to the business.
Each time, the operative was reportedly paid in U.S. currency in exchange for the wire.
When the search warrant was carried out on Feb. 26, 2026, officers seized electronic surveillance equipment, $10,839 in cash and approximately 3,500 pounds of what investigators described as illegally obtained telecommunications wire.
While officers were conducting the search, a member of the West Virginia State Police observed a truck attempting to enter the property with copper wire visible in the bed.
A traffic stop was conducted, and authorities arrested Joseph Maynard and Tara Dempsey for attempting to deliver stolen property.
Both are at Southwest Regional Jail on a $30,000 bond.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted jointly by the Mingo County Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia State Police.
Additional charges may be filed pending further review of the evidence.
