3 arrested after allegedly stealing nearly $700 in copper cables from Fort Worth building
FORT WORTH – Three people have been arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $700 worth of copper wire cables in Fort Worth, police said.
Fort Worth police said on Jan. 20, they responded to a suspicious person call in the 2900 block of Shamrock Ave., where three people appeared to be removing copper from a building.
When police arrived at the location, three suspects were arrested – Danny Kempe, 57, Sheldon Witt, 48 and Darcie Jackson, 42. All three were charged with one count of theft of material under $20,000, which is a felony offense.
Through their investigation, police recovered 155 pounds of copper wire, valued at $675.80.
Disruptions to North Texas phone services
The Fort Worth Police Department said it will continue to work to address and combat metal theft. Copper cable theft is an offense that impacts and disrupts communication services for customers, authorities said.
Late last year, AT&T reported that North Texas customers were being left without phone service because of copper cable theft. AT&T said thieves often target the same areas repeatedly.
Over the summer, copper thieves were posing as utility workers in Garland. They operated in broad daylight and at night, appearing official in their reflective vests, and dangling from utility poles while using tools like pole saws and hand saws.
"At one point, a neighborhood was without internet service for two weeks," Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tempore Gyna Bivens said in Tuesday's city council work session.
Bivens highlighted the rising trend of copper and metal theft in her district, especially stolen telecommunications wires. She said it's a crime that has plagued the entire Fort Worth area for months.
"It's totally unacceptable," Bivens said.
Major increase in metal and copper thefts
Sgt. Anthony White with Fort Worth PD's Metal Theft Unit told CBS News Texas that metal and copper theft has increased in the area by more than 500% in the last few years.
"Our unit is dealing with dozens of cases. It's an overwhelming number of cases that are coming in," White said.
Investigators say this crime spike is largely due to copper increasing in price by 25%, leading criminals to steal more metals across North Texas and the country.
"We are averaging about 20 cases against our network every week," said Mike Peterson, vice president of AT&T Texas External Affairs.
Dallas-based AT&T is one of the major victims, dealing with missing materials worth millions of dollars, but Peterson said the real victims are the North Texas families and businesses.
"When our network is interrupted, our customers are without 9-1-1 service, and many of our customers receive health monitoring services over an internet connection to their home, so it's impacted their very way of life," Peterson explained.
AT&T offering reward
Now, investigators are working overtime to catch the thieves and are also leaning on the public for help.
"When a seller brings in a very large amount of telecommunication wire, that should be a red flag for the business, for the recycling center, and that's when you should call police," White added.
AT&T also has a $10,000 reward for any tip that leads to an arrest. To report a crime, call the tip line at (800) 807-4205.
