Primary navigation
15660 N Dallas Parkway #800, Dallas, TX 75248
Toll-Free: (800) 311-2656
Phone: (972) 361-0900
Fax: (972) 361-0901
10 TV News
Police Nab Couple Accused In String Of Copper Thefts
Oceanside police have used tool with great success for years, interest growing among other law enforcement agencies.
February 26, 2011
WORTHINGTON, Ohio – Copper thefts in four cities have been connected to one couple, and now that couple faces charges, police say, thanks to technology, 10TV's Danielle Elias reported on Saturday.
A church in Worthington first reported an overnight copper theft earlier this month. The theft was captured by surveillance camera.
"This is a pretty brazen theft," said Worthington police Det. Stephen Mette. "Pulling copper off of the side of a building is pretty loud."
After another similar crime that day at a house not far from the church, police turned to a Web site, leadsonline.com, for assistance.
"It provides us with different information for pawn ships, eBay, and most importantly for this case, scrap yards," Mette said.
Police used information from recent copper thefts in Bexley to locate the vehicle that was recorded by the church's surveillance camera, along with the alleged thieves, Elias reported.
"Based on the description of the vehicle, our surveillance video from St. Michael's Church, we were able to match up and say this is probably the same guy," Mette said.
Investigators said that Richard Jesse James, 29, and his girlfriend, Jeanette Phillips, 23, both of Columbus, admitted to the thefts, Elias reported. Both face two counts of theft and four counts of receiving stolen property
Mette said the couple was addicted to drugs and the thefts fueled their habit.
"They received approximately $3,500 from the scrap yard worth of copper. Translating that into replacement cost, that would probably be about $30,000," Mette said.
The scrap yard, which accepted the theft, followed laws and did nothing wrong in the case, Elias reported.