Questions remain after a 200-foot radio tower was stolen in an Alabama town, knocking a local AM station off the air.
The crime left the WJLX station's general manager, Brett Elmore, and the Jasper, Alabama, police department, blown away and confused.
"I have been in the radio business, around it all my life and then in it professionally for 26 years, and I can say I have never heard of anything like this. I can say Ive seen it all now, said Elmore in a statement.
When the tower was stolen, the Federal Communications Commission gave the AM radio station temporary authority to continue broadcasting on the FM side, but soon told them they were no longer allowed to broadcast.
"It's been a nightmare," Elmore told USA TODAY.
The station is a huge part of Elmore's life and history. His dad worked at the station in the 80s and he grew up running around the halls. The heartbreaking theft and subsequent shutdown caused Elmore sleepless nights while he figured out what to do next.
"This is part of my fabric," said Elmore. "It's more than a job, it's part of my life."