Shocking copper theft

[markalot]

How dumb can one person be?

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/NEWS01/307160014

Man on telephone pole electrocuted
BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS | BWEATHERS@ENQUIRER.COM

ST. CLAIR TWP. -- A man was electrocuted this morning, apparently while attempting to steal copper from a telephone pole on Ohio 127.

The Butler County Sheriffs' office received a call about 3 a.m. When deputies responded to the scene, they found a man tangled in the telephone wires on Ohio 127 just outside the village of New Miami.

A representative of the Hamilton County Coroner's Office pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The victim appeared to be have been trying to cut the copper wires when he was electrocuted, the sheriff's office said.

The victim's name has not been released.

A man was killed last year while attempting to steal metal, police said.

David Mossman, 25, of the 2200 block of Ferguson Road, was killed July 12 when he touched a live wire while attempting to steal sheet metal from a large air conditioning unit at the Western Hills Sports Mall on Ferguson Road in Westwood, Cincinnati police said.

Copper thefts have been increasing in Greater Cincinnati along with the rise in copper prices. The web site quotecopper.com today lists the going rate of copper at $3.59 a pound.

Among recent targets: copper piping in homes under construction in Boone County, Ky.; copper lightning rods at a Duke Energy Wayne Township site; and copper wires from cables at Butler County Rural Electric Cooperative's Ross Township site.

[Captain Obvious]

How dumb can one person be?


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>whoosh


Very.


Isn't it obvious?


My work here is done.


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<whoosh

[daemon]

I've been hearing about these thefts for a while. has anything been done to stave these off? seems like they should at least be taking the name and number of people selling copper like they do with CDs.

[Predot listener]

I've been hearing about these thefts for a while. has anything been done to stave these off? seems like they should at least be taking the name and number of people selling copper like they do with CDs.


One way to derail these thefts (which include more than copper, and in some cities involve folks stealing manhole covers, light fixtures and any other metal-based product that may or not be tied down), and the one municipalities most often attempt, is to work with scrap dealers. By requiring scrap dealers do a better job authenticating where material is coming from, they can kind of chill the market for these products.

[akip]

big problem in my neighborhood. they just busted three people the day before yesterday.

[Sushi]

Saw in the local paper today that a guy in Medina County (just south of Cleveland) got busted for stealing bronze grave markers from veterans' graves and selling the bronze to scrap dealers.

That's some serious chutzpah.

[the_birds]

This definitely belongs in the "HA HA" Thread.

About a month ago, a state Senator here is building a home and he busted some guys stealing copper from his house. He told them to stop and they lunged at him. He popped a cap in their ass.

[Measure Up!]

They need to monitor scrap yards in general. I went to one down on kellogg a couple years ago and it was an environmental nightmare. Gasoline, oil, and antifreeze puddles everywhere, not to mention the fumes. Apparently someone also thought it was a good idea to put it right by the river.

[frizgolf]

We have an ongoing problem with thefts at disc golf courses. The galvanized steel baskets are often targets of a different type for thieves.
And there's someone here on these boards whose house purchase was thwarted by copper theft.
I hope this occurrence brings the issue to the attention of police, and scrap dealers become accountable for taking piles of questionable material.

[shivvy]

Survival of the fittest, my friends. That is evolution in action!

[bestlaidplans]

Survival of the fittest, my friends. That is evolution in action!
This is more of a case of who ever can breed the fastest wins. :p

[twentyshots]

i think this has been happening more in recent years.....

some dude got fried about two years ago in western hills doing the same thing.

[PeterABnny]

Survival of the fittest, my friends. That is evolution in action!



I figure, that's why people like this steal copper (and other metals, for that matter) - they're too damn stupid to hold down a legitimate job. A Darwin Award must be awarded to this jackass. In this case, not only is there one less idiot in the world to pollute the gene pool, but one less criminal as well! :)

I would hope that scrap dealers would be on the front lines as far as recovering or refusing stolen scrap. Unfortunately, tho, I imagine the unscrupulous dealers just don't give a crap and would be more than happy to accept scrap as long as it makes them a little extra $$.

[clonE]

This is more of a case of who ever can breed the fastest wins. :p

have you seen idiocracy? that's it exactly.

[the problem with Darwin awards is that the award recipient is usually old enough to have already polluted the gene pool.]

[ICONOCLAST420]

I once worked for a large electrical contractor and we had an entire semi trailer full of copper wire, mainly 500MCM, which weighs 1.7 pounds per foot stolen. This was in 1988 and copper was going for $1.00/pound.

[DaHood]

Yep, this has been going on for years. Also, people steal aluminum siding off houses. I think that's a bit safer than stealing copper lines which may be powered with as much as 13,500 volts or more.

[dragonflier]

have you seen idiocracy? that's it exactly.

[the problem with Darwin awards is that the award recipient is usually old enough to have already polluted the gene pool.]
As a biologist, I was going to point out that these individuals cease to affect the gene pool only if they have been removed prior to producing offspring.

What a re-volting situation! :p

[OldManIndieKid]

What a re-volting situation! :pThere you go! Sixteen posts in before someone started with the puns. Come on people, you disappoint me. :D

Watt is this all about anyway? It's a shocking situation indeed when someone tries this. But as we can see from other's posts below, current events seem to indicate that these thefts will go on for some time. It's a good thing my resistance has increased because I'm sure we're about to see an increased frequency of bad electric puns.

[frizgolf]

There you go! Sixteen posts in before someone started with the puns. Come on people, you disappoint me. :D

Watt is this all about anyway? It's a shocking situation indeed when someone tries this. But as we can see from other's posts below, current events seem to indicate that these thefts will go on for some time. It's a good thing my resistance has increased because I'm sure we're about to see an increased frequency of bad electric puns.
You're no ampateur, I see.

[frizgolf]

Personally, I get a charge out of these types of posts.
I understand, though, that they may polarize the boards.

[Jumbo Shrimp]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>whoosh


Very.


Isn't it obvious?


My work here is done.


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<whoosh
Now WHO doesn't just absolutely LOVE Captain Obvious!?!?!?

[bestlaidplans]

Personally, I get a charge out of these types of posts.
I understand, though, that they may polarize the boards.
Well hey, they don't call this current events for nothing!

[frizgolf]

Well hey, they don't call this current events for nothing!
:D
.......

[OldManIndieKid]

Well hey, they don't call this current events for nothing!This gets a smiley from you, Friz? When I clearly used this same pun over an hour before bestlaidplans did? I see how ya are..... :D

In case it's not obvious, I'm just razzing both you guys. ;)

[frizgolf]

This gets a smiley from you, Friz? When I clearly used this same pun over an hour before bestlaidplans did? I see how ya are..... :D

In case it's not obvious, I'm just razzing both you guys. ;)
Wow, that one buzzed right by me.

[bestlaidplans]

This gets a smiley from you, Friz? When I clearly used this same pun over an hour before bestlaidplans did? I see how ya are..... :D

In case it's not obvious, I'm just razzing both you guys. ;)
Guilty as charged...

Yeah I'm positive that I didn't see it either, maybe you didn't make it painfully obvious enough.

[monkey neck]

There you go! Sixteen posts in before someone started with the puns. Come on people, you disappoint me. :D

Watt is this all about anyway? It's a shocking situation indeed when someone tries this. But as we can see from other's posts below, current events seem to indicate that these thefts will go on for some time. It's a good thing my resistance has increased because I'm sure we're about to see an increased frequency of bad electric puns.

I don't get your use of the word "frequency" here. That just ruined the whole pun-paragraph for me. I thought we were talking about electricity and then you weave in a little radio-wave talk. :p

[classicgrrl]

this poses a wonderful opportunity to get rid of stupid people...

I think we should go inserting copper pipe all over Cincinnati and the burbs with remote control switches and an electronically controlled track inside rubber tubing.

Bury it in the ground and when we get thunderstorms raise the suckers up and let the lightening get 'em.

or maybe attach a nice thin fishing line of a metal tether to telephone wires. that would do it too.

should I be worried that it only took me 3 minutes to think that up? :confused:

[wileE]

I don't get your use of the word "frequency" here. That just ruined the whole pun-paragraph for me. I thought we were talking about electricity and then you weave in a little radio-wave talk. :p
there's frequency (60Hz?). AC power is all about frequency.

[DaHood]

Yep it's 60 Hz in the US and Canada. I believe it's 50 Hz in Europe and Japan.

[berzerker]

Ohm impressed with the discharge of puns here... :)


and btw, there was a story on the Dayton news a couple months ago, where these guys stole a kid in a wheelchair's bolted-down aluminum wheelchair ramp on the front stairs to his house. He was stuck there for days until he could get a new one. :mad:

[dannyboy]

...that's watts you get

[berzerker]

Some people just aren't grounded in reality...

[frizgolf]

I anode this thread would deteriorate.

[bestlaidplans]

It's all fun and games until someone gets hertz.

[monkey neck]

there's frequency (60Hz?). AC power is all about frequency.

Oh, um...Heh...OK.

Buncha electrical engineers. Sheesh. :o