Cable Company Impersonator Arrested: ICYMI

Credit: Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office

A Cumming man has been arrested and charged with theft by taking after Forsyth County sheriff’s deputies say he pretended to be a cable company employee in order to gain access to peoples’ homes.

William Charles Arnold, 43, allegedly posed as a Comcast worker and used this ruse to enter the homes of mostly elderly people, the sheriff’s office said Thursday. Once inside, Arnold would allegedly steal homeowners’ prescription medications while they were distracted.

An incident report from Nov. 6 shows that a victim in the 2700 block of Middlecreek Way was approached by a white male who identified himself as “William.” William was dressed like a Comcast employee and advised that neighbors were having trouble with their cable. The victim’s cable was also inoperative at the time.

William managed to restore the cable service and then asked to go upstairs to check whether cable had been restored to televisions there, according to the report. He soon came downstairs and reported everything was in order, then left the house.

Hours later, the victim discovered a bottle of Oxycodone and a bottle of Hydrocodone were missing from the kitchen cabinet. The victim called Comcast, who confirmed they had not sent any employees to that area that day, the report said.

Deputies were sent to investigate the above incident on Nov. 7 and began following up on leads and interviewing witnesses and neighbors, the sheriff’s office said. Soon, deputies had identifying information of Arnold and set up surveillance in the area.

The original deputy assigned to the case encountered Arnold and his truck at a car wash on Tuesday, an incident report reads. The deputy questioned Arnold, who allegedly admitted he had a drug problem and said he only ever stole pills from victims’ homes. Arnold was arrested and two Comcast badges, a Comcast shirt, and a Comcast hat and jacket were discovered inside his truck.

Investigators are seeking information from anyone else who believes Arnold was in their homes and may have stolen items from them. Additional victims can contact a deputy by calling our non-emergency number at 770-781-3087.