Cops: Nesconset man cut pole on parkway, arrested

State police arrested a Nesconset man Monday afternoon for apparently using a saw to try to cut up a downed metal light pole on the Northern State Parkway.

Police said John O'Shea, 35, of 90 Deer Valley Dr., had pulled over his gray Dodge pickup on the right shoulder of the parkway near Exit 35, Route 106/107 in Jericho at about 3:30 p.m. and was using a gas-powered saw to cut up the pole.

Police placed a call to the New York State Department of Transportation, which told them it had no record of people working in that area. It also said O'Shea was not authorized to be cutting on the pole, police said.

O'Shea was accused of criminal mischief and grand larceny and arrested, police said. He is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said O'Shea planned to sell the metal to a scrap company. The Department of Transportation estimated the light pole to be worth about $2,000.