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Copper Theft Costs Lives

From San Antonio to Amarillo, Tyler to Beaumont, Fort Worth to Lubbock, no community is safe from copper thieves. Across Texas, Boys and Girls Clubs, Meals on Wheels, oil fields, neighborhoods, churches, schools, and construction sites have all been affected by copper theft. Every Texan can do their part to stop copper thieves. Read on.

TEP in the News

Copper theft part of a trend
The Eagle (Bryan/College Station), February 4, 2010

When Kenneth Hamilton got started in the scrap metal business 25 years ago, copper sold for around 35 cents a pound.

On Wednesday, copper finished at $2.97 per pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange, according to Reuters.

The high prices have led to a nationwide rise in copper theft.

“Just in the last three or four years, when prices have been real high, have we seen people stealing it and trying to sell it,” Hamilton said.
Read more.

Copper theft suspects face stiffer charges

The Beaumont Enterprise
November 24, 2009

For months, a Hardin County business owner stored waste copper wire, amassing about 15,000 pounds of the valuable metal.

But a ring of thieves took it to the scrap yard before he could cash in.

Now, nine people face organized crime charges related to the theft that netted between $10,000 and $20,000 in cash, Sgt. Jerry Roberts of the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

The seven people who so far have been arrested told investigators they spent the money on groceries, bills and drugs, Roberts said.

“All the money is gone,” he said.

Two others charged in the case remain at large.

In the past, copper thefts have risen with the price of the metal, Roberts said, adding this is the second time he’s seen copper thefts peak.

“It got bad for awhile, but then the price went down,” he said. “But the price is back up, so thefts have picked back up.”

Copper closed Monday at more than $3.1335 a pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange near its 14-month high, according to The Associated Press.

Local scrap yards pay about $2 a pound for the wire, Roberts said, adding that the price fluctuates based on the world markets. He’s seen the price as high as $2.40 per pound.

All nine have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity instead of theft of copper.

“It makes it a little more serious,” Roberts said.

Theft of copper is a state jail felony, while engaging in organized criminal activity is a third-degree felony. A third-degree felony is punishable by between two and 10 years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.

The seven people arrested so far range in age from 18 to 22:

o Daniel “Chase” Guillory, 18, of Lumberton, is being held on a $500,000 bond, plus a $25,000 bond for an unrelated theft.

o Dustin Edward Mann, 21, of Lumberton, is being held on a $250,000 bond.

o Kentrayl Joseph Roy, 22, of Beaumont; Jacoby Hancock, 19, of Silsbee; and Christopher Ryan Burden, 20, of Lumberton, are being held on $100,000 bonds each.

o Morgan McClain Anders, 18, of Sour Lake, and Dyllan Rayne Mueller, 19, of Lumberton, are out of jail on $25,000 bonds, Roberts said.

Warrants have been issued for Christopher Blake Buckner and Steven Abraham Ursprung, who are still at large. Both were last known to have been living in Lumberton, Roberts said.

Price increases renew copper thefts

Lubbock Avalance-Journal
November 10, 2009

The arrest of a man trying to steal at least $1,500 worth of copper tubing early Monday morning is a growing trend as copper prices rise, say police, but they’re not seeing the crime as often as they did in 2007.

“(Copper thefts) had gone down considerably (after prices dropped),” Police Sgt. Robert Ferguson said. “It looks like it’s going back up.”

Local metal recyclers say they believe local and state laws are helping the number of thefts from returning to levels seen two years ago.

State and local laws mandate

recyclers require identification and report transactions electronically so law enforcement officials can quickly access them. A 2007 Texas law also made copper theft a state jail felony.

Police caught the copper theft suspect after an officer on routine patrol witnessed a man leaving a fenced area at Lowe’s in the 4400 block of Locust Avenue.

Luther Glen Robinson, 52, was charged with theft between $1,500 and $20,000 and criminal trespassing, jail records show.

“(Theft issues have) slowed down a lot,” said Dusty Lancaster, manager of A-1 Recycling.

He rarely talks with police detectives anymore, he said, which he attributes to the identification mandate more than the price of copper.

Prices have been going back up this year, he said. The market value was nearly $3 a pound on Monday afternoon.

Lancaster said they frequently dealt with theft problems about 11/2 years ago.

Deborah Vasquez, Jarvis Metals Recycling Inc. manager, said they also haven’t seen a lot of problems this year.

“We’ve not had any problems like we did,” she said.

Jeanna Roach, marketing manager for Betenbough Homes, agreed copper theft was not a big issue this year at its construction sites, which are popular targets for thieves.

Still, thefts have not completely ceased.

Authorities report thieves continue stealing air conditioners to take out the copper parts as well as hitting up construction sites for copper wires and tubing.

Ferguson believes the local electronic reporting – which became law in Lubbock early this year – has helped. The city ordinance requires shops that buy used property – including metal recyclers and pawn shops – to report all transactions to a database.

Metal recyclers were already reporting transactions to the state because of a law that went into effect Sept. 1, 2007.

Copper thefts have always been difficult to solve, Ferguson said. “It’s very common, it’s pretty hard to trace.”

Copper thieves cause light outages along Katy Trail

Dallas Morning News
November 4, 2009

Parts of the Katy Trail have gone dark due to the return of copper thieves.

Dallas parks officials confirm that copper thieves stripped wire from lights along the southern end of the trail recently.

Nine lights along the trail near Reverchon Park are currently out, said parks officials Dave Strueber.

Strueber said the city plans to quickly address the outage, although the extent of the damage is not yet known.

“It’s a security issue, and we do not want to let it go,” Strueber said.

Copper thieves have hit the trail before, including at the time of construction.

But such thefts had ebbed since the market for copper weakened with the broader economy.

The trail also is fitted with tamper-resistant electrical base plates. But the thieves apparently were able to overcome that by heavily damaging plates that cover wiring.

Repairs, sadly, could prove costly and time consuming.

Two Arrested For Copper Theft

KIIITV News, Corpus Christi, TX
September 3, 2009

Two people are under arrest this morning following an attempted burglary and foot pursuit overnight. The suspects, a male and a female in their thirties, were caught by police near a Stripes on Savage Lane. This all happened around two-thirty Thursday morning.

They are accused of trying to steal copper wire from an AEP facility on Leopard Street. Police were tipped off to suspects after they received a call of suspicious people lurking near that industrial compound. When police arrived on the scene the foot chase began. Police eventually caught up to the two, and they also found evidence dumped near a building close by.

The man is being charged with evading, resisting arrest, and theft. The woman is being charged with theft and evading.

KMID-TV 2 Midland/Odessa
Scrap Metal Theft Could Increase as Price Goes Up, August 19, 2009

Reported by: Stephanie Sobic

Just like any good business person, crooks are driven by profit too. Which is why theft could be on the rise in Midland. Here’s why..

On a basic level the price of oil can determine if it’s worth it for a company to drill. Metal thieves think the same way. If it’s worth the risk any criminal will jump a fence or rip off a construction site for a big pay-off.

“I’ve even caught some people stealing from me, picking it up from the back of the year and selling it to me in the front,” says JLH Enterprises Operator, John Hudson.

Besides hurting the integrity of his business, “people think that were involved in it and we’re not, we don’t want to buy stolen materials anymore than anybody else,” says Hudson.

Who also explains how metal theft crushes his payoff.

“We have to return the stolen merchandise, so whatever we paid for it, we have to return it and give it back to the rightful owner, but we’ve lost the money we’ve paid for it,” comments Hudson.

A cycle He is far too familiar with. All metal has value and crooks will get their hands on all types even the big pieces like tin. But the big payout is in copper.

“As the price came down recently it seemed like the stealing slowed down. Now the price is coming back up and I’m afraid it’s going to pick back up again,” says Hudson.

Copper for example is over $2 a pound right now. A tempting price for any criminal.

“And we’ve had prices coming up and it makes it worthwhile for people to recycle and makes it worthwhile for thieves to steal,” says Hudson.

Especially from open construction sites and new homes for sales, or foreclosed properties that aren’t being watched. If your property is stolen, your best bet is to alert scrap metal yards like JLH Enterprises and tell them what went missing. From there, operators like Hudson can know what to look for… before, you and Hudson lose money on it.

San Antonio Express-News
Copper thievery no penny-ante crime
Robert S. Howden – Special to SA Express-News
Senior citizens’ health is at risk. Hospitals are hamstrung. Children are left in the dark. At least one man has died. No natural disaster is to blame, but instead a national epidemic of copper theft. Read more.

Austin American-Statesman
Howden: Put the eyes of Texas on copper theft

Dallas Business Journal
Stopping copper theft, June 27, 2008
To the Editor:
In cities across the nation, copper thieves are pulling down utility lines, gutting air conditioning units, raiding homes under construction and ultimately threatening lives.

The Gilmer Mirror
By Robert Howden, Texans for Economic Progress
Senior citizens’ health is at risk. Hospitals are hamstrung. Children are left in the dark. At least one man even died. No natural disaster is to blame, but instead a national epidemic of copper theft. In cities across Texas and indeed the nation, copper thieves are pulling down utility lines, gutting air conditioning units, raiding homes under construction and ultimately threatening lives. The spike in copper theft nationwide is a response to the rising price of copper worldwide. With copper selling for more than $3 a pound, thieves are taking the extraordinary risk of shimming utility poles and literally ripping down phone and electrical lines for the copper inside. Read on to learn what you can do to stop copper thieves.