Montgomery County, Texas - Theft of Copper:
On June 20, 2008, in the early morning hours, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division was dispatched to the area of Schank Road and Waukegan Road regarding a suspicious vehicle that had been in the area for about thirty (30) minutes. After receiving the call and while in route to the area, the call was upgraded to a theft in progress. Once in the area, the responding patrol deputy observed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect's vehicle and a traffic stop was initiated.
After making contact with the occupants of the vehicle, the patrol deputy was able to obtain consent to search for the vehicle which lead to evidence and information that supported the suspects were involved in theft of copper. During the contact with the suspects, another call was dispatched in the area, 15500 Block of Schank Road, regarding a power outage alarm reported by Consolidated Communications. MCSO Patrol personnel responded to that location and found the copper cable suspended between the telephone poles had been cut.
Witness information provided indicated there were two white males at the scene where the copper was cut, but they ran away once they saw a spot light shining in their direction. One of the witnesses indicated they were talking on the telephone when the line went dead. This was the same time the suspects were seen standing by the poles.
The actions of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division resulted in the arrest of two suspects regarding the theft of copper and criminal mischief done during the theft. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Burglary and Theft Squad is now involved in the investigation. Both suspects are currently incarcerated in the Montgomery County Jail and each are initially being held on ten thousand ($10.000.00) dollar bonds for each charge.
Due to the large amount of copper theft losses communication companies are currently experiencing, many have implemented an alarm on their cable systems. This system will alert law enforcement and the communications company of any interruption of cable communications due to attempted thefts. These systems, like the one Consolidated Communications now has, is showing to be effective in preventing losses and apprehending thieves who commit these types of crimes.
June 21, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
GOOD JOB GUYS~~it took the dispatchers and the officers working together to pull this one off along with the astute citizen calling in the suspicious activity. Copper theives beware~~we’re WATCHING YOU!!