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Copper theft a major problem
Published Thursday, June 19, 2008
NATCHEZ — When Rosa and Melvin Demby returned to their store, The Wedding Mart, Monday after a week out of town, it was slightly warmer than normal. The reason — their air conditioners had been stolen.
The two units behind the building at 4 East Franklin St. had been stripped of all the copper components and were left useless Rosa said.
“They took everything but the fan,” she said.
The remaining two units are small and not able to cool the building on their own, making it very difficult to work, she said.
“Today we’re burning up in here, and they’ve just really left us in a pickle,” Rosa said.
The Wedding Mart has been in the same location for five years and has never had any crime problems.
Melvin is a Vidalia police officer and is at the store in uniform almost every day. Rosa said she thinks the thieves did not see him or the Wedding Mart van and assumed it was a good time to strike, even though there were other employees at the store until 5 p.m. every day.
WTYJ, a Natchez radio station also had its air conditioner stolen June 4.
“They took their time and clipped the little copper lines,” said Calvin Butler, operations manager. “We had to buy a whole new unit because they took everything. They ripped it up really bad and just left the compressor.”
The station was able to replace their unit later that day, but at a cost of $2,400. The expense also came out of pocket because their insurance did not cover the theft.
WTYJ has put a cage around their new unit to protect it but Butler still does not consider it completely safe.
“You probably can’t prevent it but you can discourage it,” Butler said.
Sgt. Craig Godbold, of the Natchez Police Department said that copper theft is nothing new but it has increased.
“Once the price of copper went up they’ll tear a house up in a heart beat,” Godbold said.
The thieves initially hit construction sites and abandoned homes and then moved up to unoccupied rental houses, he said.
“Now they’ve gone further and they’re going to businesses that close down on Friday and don’t open until Monday,” Godbold said.
The timing of the thefts makes the thieves hard to catch but people usually don’t see them. However, if done improperly someone could be electrocuted cutting the wires.
“If they cut the wrong wire we’ll know who did it,” Godbold said.
Godbold said that much of copper is being sold locally at places like Concordia Metal Works and Andrews Metals in Natchez. However, a new law, which takes affect Aug. 9 could make it much more difficult to sell the metal.
The law will require scrap metal dealers to view a photo ID and write down the sellers name, address, and age for their records.
Also, the date and place where the seller got the metal, the tag number of the car used to deliver the metal and a signed statement from the seller must be kept on file. Any scrap metal dealer who does not comply with this will be considered to have received stolen property.
For now though, Godbold said people need to watch out for their neighbors and neighboring businesses to prevent thefts.
Comments
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good Lord!!!! Does it ever end? I guess that is why all of those people are lined up in the sweltering heat for HOURS selling their scrap. They are trying to get in before Aug. 9. I can't afford a new AC.
Posted by texasranger (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If they do that in Texas at night they get shot. If someone would start putting a bullet in their ear right above the temple it would stop. With gas soon to reach $5.00 a gallon,they will start stealing everything and invading homes,they don,t care. They get off with hand slaps and laugh and joke about our laws...PUT A COUPLE OF THOUSANDS OF THEM IN THE GROUND. Or just let them continue to thug,thieve,rape and blunder. It,s the only thing they understand,a good load of double 00 buckshot. Course the bleeding hearts want to protect them and sue us. Soon all that we worked for all our lifes will be hauled off.
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If they come on my property I got something for them. My AC is right out my bedroom window. I got to the range often to keep in practice.
Posted by grrbrts (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 2:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
At the moment, the scrap yard is taking note of one's diver's license. And, will not except sells from those with one's SSN as the same. Only the NEW generated numbers.
Posted by ardvark (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 6:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lead is still cheap
Posted by charliebug5865 (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yup!i do not beleive in vigilante,tx.ranger, but once again i agree with you,an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. also, the lawmakers and people of my great hometown need to quit taking up for the thugs, if the tables were turned and a property or business owner happened to catch them, they would not think twice about shooting one of them, to keep from getting caught! I beleive that our people our responsible for taking back the streets of the great city of natchez, before the problem takes it over!
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 7:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are many more places which have had copper stolen from the AC. We arrived at church 2 weeks ago to find the ac out in the Sunday School rooms. When the men took a look at it they discovered the copper wiring missing. However, we did get a description of a strange truck parked there by a local person, so beware crooks - the police know what you are driving.
Posted by leona (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i was just curious...i know when someone enters your house, you are allowed to shoot them, but what if they are outside of the home? i saw a news report once of a man who was inside his home and saw someone outside robbing his neighbor's house. he was on the phone with 911 telling them to hurry and when they weren't there yet and the theif was getting away, he shot and killed him. he got in trouble and was arrested for murder, i think. are there different laws in different states? it would be my luck to shoot the thug and then i would end up in prison.
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No kidding, leona. I will blow a thief away if I caught him stealing in my home but would be scared I'd be put in prison. There are many sitting in jail today who protected their family yet were charged with murder anyway. What the system fails to tell you is that you have a CHANCE of walking free if you murder your home invader.
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That is a good question. That posses a problem. I heard a stiory one time that a man broke into someones home and fell through the window or skylight, landed on a knife and then sued the homeowner. Sued them! He broke in and hurt himself, how was that their fault?
Posted by msfixit (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Those of you are wondering about the limits of killing someone on your property need to google "Castle Laws" and then look for the state of Mississippi. These laws vary from state to state, but Mississippi now has a Castle Law which is meant to protect homeowners from criminal prosecution (there isn't any real way to protect from civil suit) if they kill someone who is on their property with ill intent.
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is going on nationwide! The cost of copper may have to be reconsidered, make it less attractive. The businesses that buy and sell copper, should be held to strictly enforced rules on who they buy copper from and where these individuals are getting it from. May be tedious, but maybe the copper being manufactored could have some type of serial number or identity to it so as it can't be removed and a database of this information with the owner? It's not going to do anyone any good to create laws that are NOT going to be enforced. I don't agree with total anarchy, but when it comes to protecting your property, "you got to do what you got to do!" It's so bad, people are not only loosing air conditioning, the phone companies, Bell, etc., have had to shell out thousands to get their copper phone wires replaced.
Posted by ncogg (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OMG!!! I know Mr. and Mrs. Demby. They are good people.I am sorry this happened to them. It is a dirty shame.
@ lilredhead...yeah i heard that same story, and that fool actually won the case if i am not mistaken.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
leona the law in mississippi as of last year is....You have the right to protect yourself as well as your property,This also includes your vehicle...They DO NOT have to be inside anymore...
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This has been happening in Jackson for a while now. It's now here. What's next?
Posted by jack (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE HIGHER GAS GET EH MORE COPPER WILL BE STOLEN AS WELL AS OTHER THINGS OF VALUE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ADAMS SO AND NATCHEZ PD IN CATCHING THESE THIEVES THEN JUDGES HANG THEM ALL
Posted by leona (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
thanks for the info, guys. i am glad to be better informed.
Posted by GodsChild (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Regardless what the law is, I promise the suspect will get off before the victim!!!
It really seems as the law is made to protect the criminals...
Copper theft is a major issue in the US now.
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is some info I found.
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-00...
Teach4Peace I am with you on the serial #'s and most of the wire they are getting has a number on the wire coating such as manufacturing codes. The thing is they are burning the wire to get the coating off, leaving only the copper wire because they get more money for it with the coating off. If you burn off the coating it only turns the wire black and not harming the wire itself. They are getting $3.14 per pound. That may not sound like a lot but copper wire is heavy. Here is another link.
http://www.recycle.net/Metal-N/Copper/xv...
Posted by acedog (anonymous) on June 19, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
please listen to what gobold said and tell your neighbors and your friends to secure there property the best that they can.crimes like these are crimes of opportunity.and will continue as long as crooks have the opportunity. the only thing that can stop it is looking out for your neighbor. pay attention to your neighborhood.AND FOR GODSAKE PEOPLE TALK TO ONE ANOTHER.
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