Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said DPS received a call at 12:40 p.m. on Oct. 27 reporting copper wire theft at two houses behind Kagman High School.
Ogumoro said based on preliminary investigation, the still unidentified person or persons stole about 250 feet of secondary lines from two utility poles and about 185 feet of drop line wires.
According to a witness, there was no one in both houses where the electrical lines were stolen.
At around 2:20 p.m. on the same day, Ogumoro said a caller informed DPS of another copper wire theft, this time at the Retsa commercial building in As Perdido.
“Based on preliminary investigation, electrical wires were stolen from two panel boxes located on the south side of the building,” Ogumoro said.
Police learned that the perpetrators broke into a storage room.
The amount of wire stolen is yet to be determined and Ogumoro said both cases are still under investigation.
Over a couple of months ago, DPS reported that copper wire theft incidents had been increasing.
Police earlier said DPS was working hand in hand with the recycling centers on island to curb the rampant copper wire theft incidents.
But the scrap copper trade remains a lucrative business as the price of the metal continues to increase.
Copper wire is in demand in China where it fetches a high price.
Ogumoro is urging anyone who has information about these crimes to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 234-7272.
All calls are kept anonymous, no caller ID is used and there is a reward of up to $1,000 for any information leading to an arrest.
