VIDALIA — With the rising heat and the rising cost of living, local thieves may be tempted to bring a new meaning to the phrase “hot metal.”

On Thursday, Tommie Lee Jefferson, 63, 300 Sixth St., Ferriday, and Randy D. Jefferson, 41, 312 Campbell Drive, Ferriday, were arrested by the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office on charges of felony theft.

The two allegedly stole a box of tools from a Ferriday Drive residence in Ridgecrest and took the toolbox to a local scrap metal dealer to try to sell the stolen items. They were arrested trying to sell the items.

Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said that businesses should take extra precautions such as extra locks or lighting for items in outside lots, and that items left in residential front or back yards are prime targets for thefts.

“If you see something you believe is suspicious going on at a neighbor’s home, call us and let us check it out,” Maxwell said. “It’s always better to check and be certain all is OK than to call and be sorry later.”

Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins agreed.

“If you see someone working on an air-conditioner unit who doesn’t look like an air-conditioner repairman, call us,” Mullins said. “There’s not much there, but some people will damage or destroy an air-conditioner unit for the small amount of copper inside it.”

Metal theft is a major problem in Natchez, and some of the most popular sites for thieves to hit are construction sites, Mullins said.

Though the problem is less prevalent in Vidalia, Police Chief Billy Hammers said construction sites are places the police watch to prevent metal theft.

“A lot of times, they have to leave the copper wire and copper pipes they use for air-conditioning on the site, and that would be something someone would want to get,” Hammers said.

Drainpipes and the wiring from empty houses are also popular among thieves, Ferriday Police Chief Richard Madison said.

To combat the growing metal theft problem, the Mississippi House Judiciary B committee is reviewing a measure that would, among other things, require scrap metal purchasers to keep records of photo IDs, vehicle tag numbers and photos or video of those selling the metal.

At Concordia Metal, owner Connie Brown said a similar system is already in place in Louisiana.

“We have a system that takes pictures of everything we buy, and the person selling it is in the picture next to the scales,” Brown said. “We work with every law enforcement agency from Natchez Police and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office to Jena.”

Though Brown said Concordia Metal tries to buy on good faith, sometimes they can spot a stolen item.

“You know what is a new or running vehicle and what is a junk vehicle,” Brown said. “We’re not going to buy if they don’t hold the title.”

Most people selling metal are not thieves, Brown said.

“We may see one or two (with stolen items) a week, but we probably see 1,000 customers or more in that time,” she said. “Just like in any kind of business, you have got a few bad eggs.”