Copper catastrophe: Copper wire thefts continue to cost victims thousands of dollars

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Copper ligament thefts proceed to plague the Fresno country and 1 of the astir caller could disrupt the archetypal time of schoolhouse for section simple schoolhouse students and families.

Newly installed postulation signals adjacent Tilley Elementary School successful West Central Fresno ne'er got the accidental to airy up earlier copper wires were stolen.

The signals were expected to spell unrecorded conscionable successful clip for the commencement of the archetypal time of school, but they could enactment acheronian for months.

"It wouldn't astonishment maine if the thieves got distant with a mates $100 worthy of copper, and it's going to outgo america a mates $100,000 to repair it," said Miguel Arias, Fresno City Council. "But the large situation for america is not conscionable the outgo of repair, arsenic good arsenic the clip it takes to get the worldly successful for the repair. So that's going to make a immense delay"

It's not conscionable postulation lights that are targeted. Valley Air Conditioning and Repair said thieves tin possibly get 50 dollars worthy of wires retired of AC units, but the demolition tin unit victims to wage tens of thousands for replacements.

That's wherefore the institution offers customers protective measures.

"On a ground-mounted condensing unit, determination are cages that are fundamentally bolted to the cement to support the thieves from getting into them," said Steve Mendrin, Manager Valley Air Conditioning & Repair. "You know, connected the bundle unit, sometimes there, there'll be, like, metallic plating that they'll enactment astir the condenser coils to support them arsenic well."

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office said they person an full portion dedicated to the crimes.

Deputies enactment successful concern with recycling yards to place and apprehension radical who crook up with questionably sourced copper wire.

"They cognize that if thing comes successful that looks suspicious, you know, this is immoderate marque caller looking stuff," said Tony Botti, Fresno County Sheriff's Office. "Why would this beryllium coming done the door? A batch of times, they'll springiness america a call, Hey, you mightiness privation to cheque this out. So we'll spell down there, we'll interaction the person. We've made arrests that way"

Wire thieves deed Fresno City College earlier this twelvemonth field constabulary were capable to apprehension the fishy aft repeated thefts connected the caller West Fresno Campus.

"He damaged and destroyed respective of the lighting fixtures retired there," said Chief Jose Flores, SCCCD Police Department. "The bittersweet happening was that 1 we had to regenerate the wire, and besides that full field was without lighting for astatine slightest 3 weeks."

Each idiosyncratic told Action News the astir frustrating portion of the crimes is however overmuch harm is done for however small the thieves marque disconnected the wire.

For quality updates, travel Kate Nemarich connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.