(The following appeared at WBALTV.com on January 30.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — Investigators in Cecil County said they are dealing with a copper theft problem and are concerned that someone is going to get seriously injured or killed.
Detectives said that nearly $100,000 worth of copper wire has been stolen the last couple of months from the area around the Norfolk Southern rail yard in Conowingo.
The Cecil County Bureau of Investigations said the thieves are going through some very desperate measures to gather as much copper wire as they can.
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“They’ve been in some of the towers, the lighting towers for the trains,” said Cpl. Don Kellum. “So people are bold enough to go on the tracks or towers and actually cut them.”
The high-voltage wires that run along the tracks and towers contain copper inside and can fetch big bucks at the local scrap yard.
“This is not just one individual or one group of individuals,” Kellum said. “This is numerous individuals that are targeting copper wire sites.”
Cameras are installed around the Norfolk Southern yard. Investigators said they hope the cameras can help in making an arrest before someone gets hurt cutting one of the high-voltage lines.
Kellum said investigators would be helped if scrap yards buying the copper would require photo identification.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Cecil County Bureau of Investigations.