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Burglars Sentenced For Stealing Copper Wire

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By TODD LESKANIC

tleskanic@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

DADE CITY - In August, Timothy Davis and Jason Lanier sold 1,761 pounds of copper wire to a metal recycler for $4,560.99.

It would have been a decent deal had the wire belonged to them.

The 1,037 feet of wire belonged to the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, though. Davis and Lanier had broken into the company's New River substation a few days earlier and stripped the wire from generators and transformers.

Both received deals of a different sort today when they entered guilty pleas to grand theft charges in Pasco Circuit Court. Lanier, 28, was sentenced to 10 years of probation; Davis, 24, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Together, the men also are responsible for more than $20,000 in restitution to the power company and its insurer.

Part of Lanier's plea involved a May incident in which he stole seven rolls of copper wire from a construction site in Wesley Chapel and then sold it to a recycler. He was ordered to pay an additional $5,110 to that company, Marshall Electric Works.

As he left the courtroom, Lanier lamented the thousands he now owes and – with his co-defendant going to prison – might have to pay by himself. That could change depending on the pending theft charges against Troy Davis, a third man investigators say was involved.

Copper thefts have been a scourge to Pasco County since prices for the metal surged in the summer. Thieves have targeted air conditioning units, car parts and electrical units, sheriff's Sgt. Joe Gleaton said.

County officials intervened this year and adopted an ordinance that makes it a violation to burn the plastic coating to separate it from the copper in wiring. Gleaton said recyclers will pay more for clean copper. Violators could face a $500 fine.

Authorities are being helped by another factor: falling commodity prices. Once more than $4 a pound, copper prices plunged recently to about $1.50.

Gleaton said sheriff's office data shows that reported copper thefts dropped from 109 between June and August to 69 between September and November.

"Now, it's too time-consuming for the little bit of money they get," he said.

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084.

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