Police are looking for a suspect or suspects who allegedly stole about 2,700 feet of copper wire from more than a dozen street lights in a southwest Morgan Hill neighborhood last week.
A resident reported the vandalism of several neighborhood street lights in the area of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Native Dancer Drive, and a police canvassing the area located extensive damages to 15 street lights and the adjoining underground electrical boxes, according to a press release from Morgan Hill Police Department.
The thief or thieves stole a total of about 2,700 feet of copper wire, which fetches a price between $1.10 and $2.65 per pound, according to police.
Copper thieves generally trade in the stolen materials to recycling businesses for “quick cash,” MHPD Detective Scott Martin said. Soon after the recent theft, Morgan Hill police contacted several such businesses in the area and none of them received any trade-ins that appeared similar to the materials stolen from the street lights.
“There is a statewide requirement that recyclers shall obtain some form of identification from persons trading in material, however there is no requirement for recyclers to contact police if a person is attempting to trade in copper wire or other suspicious materials,” Martin added.
The City’s cost to repair the “extensive” damages to the street lights has not yet been determined, police said.
Police have not yet identified a suspect or suspects in the theft.
Anyone with information about this crime can contact MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
