Copper wire thieves strike Highway 41 overpass area, stealing valuable copper wire

According to city officials, it wasn’t the first time that local thieves focused on the theft of Lemoore’s copper wire. A few years ago, copper wire thieves struck a string of city streetlights on Hanford Armona Road from Highway 41 to Liberty Drive and then Liberty to Cinnamon Drive. The thievery left the city with about a $10,000 repair bill – not including city labor.

 “They got all the wires on the streetlights, from Highway 41 to Lemoore Avenue,” said Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson. “We had to pull all new wire, and that’s pretty heavy stuff.”

City officials told The Leader that on Wednesday sometime during the night or early morning, copper thieves attempted to steal copper wire for the signaling and watering systems at the Highway 41 overpass. It turns out that the right-of-way is apparently the responsibility of Caltrans, and the state agency will probably have to pay any repair bill.

Olson did indicate that a city street pole may have been affected. “It looks like the majority of damage is with Caltrans, but it’s still relevant.”

Copper wire is valuable as scrap because the popular metal is used in so many items, from fiber optics to plumbing and just about anything electric. The profits for copper wire remain highly tempting for thieves.

City workers inspect the site of an attempted copper wire theft Wednesday morning, Dec. 11.

The theft of copper has become somewhat of an epidemic in the United States from New Jersey to Lemoore, California, as thieves may see a payday in copper wire.

According to some experts, copper wire theft is a $1 billion business in the United States. Copper theft is a Class C Felony. It can also kill you. Theft is a deadly problem because it can injure or kill those stealing it and endanger the public.

Currently, the price of copper hovers around $2.72 a pound.

Copper theft, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau NICB, copper theft has accounted for a staggering 96 percent of all reported metal thefts in the past six years, much of which occurred on commercial property.

Not only is copper theft illegal, but the purchase of copper is illegal where the purchaser knows or has reason to believe that the copper is stolen. Many states have instituted laws requiring stricter record-keeping and reporting by scrap metal dealers.

According to governing.com, thieves across the country have been “stripping” copper wire from abandoned houses, commercial buildings, and construction sites for years. But lately, as in Lemoore’s cases, thieves have been taking aim at public right of ways, creating headaches for public safety and transportation officials.

Recently, in Oklahoma, state officials estimate they’ll need $500,000 to repair the lights on Interstate 40 in downtown Oklahoma City after copper thieves hit.

Copper thieves have become a civic nuisance, stealing wire from abandoned houses, commercial buildings, and construction sites for years. Still, lately, they’ve been taking aim at public rights of way, including streetlights and other locations, stealing the valuable wire from controlling stations or below ground boxes.