Published: June 22, 2009 08:28 am      

Depot closes copper theft case with no arrests

Blue Grass Army Depot officials claim that an on-site theft case is closed even though no arrests have been made.

In January, approximately $3,000 worth of copper was reportedly stolen from a depot construction site.

As of late March, depot officials had released very little information, including stating that the case was, “… closed with no new leads.”

Military police reports received Friday from a Freedom of Information request did not document that an arrest had ever been made, and offered only statements from two on-site contractors and photographs from where the materials were taken.

The reports do not indicate whether the stolen items were found and Depot officials have refused to answer questions about the case other than saying the case is closed.

“The investigation revealed that sometime between Jan. 4 and Jan. 8, approximately 100 feet of three-quarter-inch worn copper wire and about 10 lightning rods were taken from building S-212,” according to a military police reported completed by Chief Troy D. Wallen. “These items were still attached to S-212 on Jan. 4, and upon arrival on Jan. 8, it was noticed that an unknown person had cut the wire about eight inches above the ground and removed the wire and lightning rods from the location.”

Mike Costello of Winchester, a contractor for Intersteel Inc., said in a sworn statement that he last saw the copper wire on Jan. 4.

He went to install the wire and noticed it was missing, he said.

Costello’s statement also documented that the stolen lightning rods would have added up to about 100 feet of metal and was about three-fourth of an inch in width.

Anthony Scott Smith of Richmond, also a contractor for Intersteel Inc., said in his sworn statement that the copper wire would have weighed more than 100 pounds.

The administrative location from which the copper was stolen is not near the chemical demilitarization plant construction site. Rather, it is on the opposite side of the depot in an area where there are no sensitive or restricted operations, according to Joadail Stephenson, depot public relations representative.

Last summer brought a rise in copper theft because of its monetary value, however, it takes a lot more copper today to yield a large profit.

“The bottom has fallen out of the metal market,” said Madison County Sheriff Nelson O’Donnell shortly after the January incident.

Last summer, scrap metal dealers were buying copper for anywhere between $2.95 to $3.65 a pound, depending on the copper’s quality, according to an employee of Kentucky Recycling, located at 114 Quality Drive in Richmond.

Today, “number one” copper is being bought for about 90 cents per pound.



Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.