2 Men Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Pay Telephones

Two men were arrested Saturday on suspicion of stealing more than eight public phones that were found in their Anaheim home, police said.

Larry Dean Collins, 42, was taken into custody after witnesses saw him pull up in front of a Price Club on South Harbor Street around 10 a.m., dismantle a pay phone and throw it in the hatchback of his car, Lt. Tony Hernandez said.

“He just set up three cones around the phone and unbolted it,” Hernandez said. “It was very bold of him to do this in front of a line of people waiting to get into the store.”

One witness wrote down the license plate number of the car and called police.

The information led investigators to Collins’ home in Anaheim in the 900 block of North Clementine Street where eight pay phones, five metal booths and various disassembled phones and parts were discovered in his garage.

Authorities also arrested Roger Allen Lucas, 43, at the Anaheim house. Both men contend that they repair and sell telephones, Hernandez said.

Collins told police that he works for a phone company called Pay Phone Express, which allegedly markets phones to stores such as AM/PM mini-markets. Police do not believe the company is legitimate.

The company that owns the phone Collins allegedly stole on Saturday could not vouch for Collins and told police it had been having problems with telephone thefts.

Police think the suspects steal public phones and resell them to private companies for a percentage of the profits from calls.

The men were charged with grand theft and jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Police request that anyone with information on Pay Phone Express or similar incidents contact Fullerton police Detective Dan Bohling, (714) 738-3301.