By James Turner
Recycled copper, such as abandoned or stolen copper wire, is worth from $2 to $4 per pound. Thieves clean it up and usually get about $3. A hefty roll of electric wire weighing about 40 pounds would bring around $120. Stealing copper wire has been a crime of choice here in west Louisiana. There are miles of wire in rural Vernon Parish where a thief can go unobserved and help himself. The Sheriff is working to install cameras and follow up on suspicious people and activities.
Too often we imagine that dramatic things are going to happen to the other guy and not to us. Ha ha! Alert! Last week we found ourselves in the thick of real crime. A copper wire thief was loose in the woods. Vernon Parish Sheriff’s deputies and about ten “units” were hot on his trail. They even had blood hounds — truly exciting! Stealing anything in this area is sort of dumb. Why? Access to the hundreds of acres of rural woodland is via the old VFW Road on the East side of Anacoco Lake. The trouble is, the VFW road (7 miles or so) ends on State Highways at both ends. There is no way out without being detected. A thief has poor odds. Plus, both hunters and the sheriff have been installing “wildlife cameras” near deer stands and along public roads. Very clever!
So, I noticed a hatchback or small, white car slowly entering our driveway here in the woods. The car turned around and crept up to the culvert near our gate and stopped. I was standing by my window in the nearby studio when a heavyset, ragged fellow came running right by me, through the woods and toward the hatchback. What the hell? He jumped in the back seat and they were off to the old VFW road. Bang!
The Sheriff’s deputy came by after our 911 call and brought pictures of the dude and his car, that I was able to identify. We got a big laugh, “We’ll nab him” the Deputy said, and they did. The Sheriff had the thief’s tools from the crime scene and even his DNA. Later, the deputy came by to thank us and to see that we were okay. Very thoughtful!
Reports that evening verified that the copper thief and his buddies had been apprehended. Boy o’ boy, cops and robbers, what’ll be next?
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James Turner is a local author, artist, builder, historian, and landscape architect.