(PCSD file photos)
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — An ex-convict from Cushing and his girlfriend from Drumright have been charged with stealing copper wire from a Contango Resources oil well site in Ripley, damaging the company’s property by using a vehicle to hook onto and pull 165 feet of copper from the ground between two junction boxes, and also possessing two checkbooks stolen from a Creek County man, all on May 16.
Due to his criminal record of stolen property, forgery and drug convictions, Thomas Andrew Lumpkin, 31, who is on parole, could be given two life prison terms plus six months if convicted of the three-count charge on which he was ordered jailed on $50,000 bail.
His girlfriend, Anna Delynne Henshaw, 33, who was ordered jailed on $25,000 bail, could be incarcerated for eight and one-half years if convicted of the three-count charge.
The pair were arrested by Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers at midnight on May 16 at a relative’s residence; the couple have been scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 26, court records show.
“On May 16 at about 11:36 am, I was notified that a white Chrystler Town and Country van was seen between SH 33 and SH 108 on Ford Road in rural Payne County south of Ripley. The reporting person notified law enforcement that the van and occupants were seen near a large pile of copper wire that the reporting person thought was dumped there by the van’s occupants.
“The reporting person photographed the van from the rear, and a white male subject appeared soaking wet and out of breath while standing near the van,” which had a dealer tag and was driven by a white woman, the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“On the same date at about 11:34 am, an employee of Contango Resources reported a copper theft at their well site, ‘The Cotton,’ located just east of Rose Road on Eseco Road. The lock on the gate had been cut, and when the well site lost power at 5:30 am, it sent a signal to the on-duty pumper. Deputy Bobby Miller responded to the well site,” the affidavit alleged.
“On the same date, at about 12:14 pm, Lt. Daniel Nack located the white Chrysler Town and Country, stopping it on traffic at 44th and SH 108,” according to the affidavit. The only occupant was Lumpkin’s relative, who lived 2.7 miles from the well site, the affidavit alleged.
“I learned that Thomas and his girlfriend, Anna Henshaw, had possession of (the relative’s) van earlier that morning. I learned that Thomas and Anna were at (the relative’s) residence when she left earlier,” the affidavit alleged. Lumpkin’s relative consented to a search of the van “where we found strands of copper wire and wire cutters,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
It was determined the copper wire on Ford Road was the wire taken from that well site early that morning, the affidavit alleged. “Pieces of copper sheathing were found in (the relative’s) residence’s driveway. A bundle of black copper sheathing was also found in a fire pit in the yard. The sheathing in the driveway and the sheathing in the burn pile are consistent with copper wire commonly installed on well sites in our area,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
When Lumpkin was contacted at his relative’s residence, “At first, he denied any knowledge and then told me he was buying the wire from another person. I placed him under arrest,” the investigator wrote in his affidavit.
“I contacted Anna in the far north bedroom. On the nightstand, pieces of foil and a glass smoking pipe were in plain view. I located two pairs of boots, one belonging to Thomas and one to Anna, in the north bathroom. The boots were still wet.
“I located two receipts in a tan feminine backpack on the bed in the bedroom. The receipts were from Mullins Salvage, located west of Cushing, and were dated 5-13-2024. One was for 84 lbs. of #1 copper wire sold by Thomas Lumpkin, earning $302.40. Another was sold by Thomas Lumpkin for 90 lbs. of #1 copper wire, earning $324,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“I located a safe under the bed in the north bedroom that contained two checkbooks,” which were stolen in a burglary in April in Creek County, the investigator alleged in his affidavit. “I located numerous items of drug paraphernalia in the bedroom, including tin foil and glass smoking pipes. Anna was placed under arrest,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
When the investigator went to the well site, “I located tire impressions that appeared to be from the van and footwear impressions that were the same size and appeared to be from Anna Henshaw’s boots…A vehicle pulled the copper wire running the 165-foot span underground between the two boxes through the underground conduit. The vehicle pulled the wire from the well site to the location on Ford Road.
“I was able to follow the route due to pieces of copper sheathing found in the roadway along the path. The path was east on Eseco Road to Ripley Road, continuing east on Eseco to Parrotte Road, north on Parrotte Road through the intersection of 9th Street, and continuing north to SH 33. Then west on SH 33, approximately three-tenths of a mile to Ford Road. Ford Road runs northwest to SH 108 and is a little over half a mile long.
“When the suspect pulled the wire from Eseco Road and onto Parrotte Road, the wire hit the stop sign, either breaking it off at the base or pulling it completely out of the ground. We collected the stolen wire as evidence and found it was still connected to a cable connected to a ball mount,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“The direction the wire was being pulled from would make it almost impossible for Thomas to get it onto his property due to the (northwest) angle of his driveway. The driveway is off Parrotte Road, just south of 9th street. With the wire being pulled north, there was no way it could have been pulled into the drive, so he continued to Ford Road, where the wire was unhooked.
“Thomas and Anna were caught just before hooking back up to the wire to take it back in the direction where they could pull it onto his property. At this point, they abandoned the wire. I spoke with one of the foremen with Contango Resources. Thomas and Anna damaged the well site, and the damage is estimated to be between $30,000 and $50,000.
“Thomas is a seven-time convicted felon and is 31 years old. Thomas is currently out on parole with the Oklahoma DOC,” the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
