Two charged with stealing Lawrence County bridge

State police have arrested two men accused of stealing a privately owned steel bridge from a secluded area in Lawrence County.

Police said that Benjamin Arthur Jones, 24, and Alexander William Jones, 25, used a torch to tear apart the Covert's Crossing Bridge late last month or early this month. The bridge had been in North Beaver Township since at least the early 1900s and was worth an estimated $100,000.

The Joneses, both from New Castle, were being held in the Lawrence County Prison on $25,000 bail, according to court records. They face felony charges of criminal mischief, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.

A police report did not say whether the men were related and the investigating officers were not available to speak Friday.

Gary Bruce, a spokesman for New Castle Development, which owned the bridge, said after the theft that a nearby business infrequently used the bridge to transport materials and there is another road workers can use in its absence.

Some people in Lawrence County believe Covert's Crossing might have been haunted. The historical society, in a video about haunted spots in the county, says some residents claim that a beautifully dressed woman haunts the bridge on prom night.





First published on October 15, 2011 at 12:00 am