A would-be thief learned the cruel sting of an electric shock and lived to tell the tale … and became the town laughing stock.
Lehigh Valley Live reports hunters called 911 after they heard screaming from a Slate Belt, Pennsylvania, power tower and looked up to see a man dangling above the ground.
Police arrested the 51-year-old culprit, saying he was trying to score some copper wire but instead got electrocuted. Police say the man had scaled the tower and secured himself before trying to help himself to the stored wire. Instead, he got a nasty shock when he cut into a live line.
The man, who was also burned, was propelled back by the shock’s power and fell nearly 30 feet before his line caught him, saving him from smacking into the ground below.
The man was treated at a nearby hospital and was released on his own recognizance. He was charged with felony attempted theft, as well as two misdemeanor counts of possession of an instrument of a crime and criminal mischief. He will be back in court on January 20.