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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Electrocuted bodies of 2 former wiring thieves found |
| 2009-06-03 |
| The men were believed to be removing copper wire from an electrical box at an abandoned driving range in Riverside County. They were found after a fire at the site was put out. The bodies of two men believed to have been electrocuted while stealing copper wiring were found early Tuesday on an abandoned driving range in Riverside County, authorities said. San Jacinto police and county firefighters received a report of fireworks in the 900 block of Idyllwild Drive about 1:20 a.m., but instead discovered a fire near a transformer, said Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. After extinguishing the fire, which took place at what used to be San Jacinto Golf Center, officials discovered the bodies. A spokeswoman with the coroner's office said the bodies were burned beyond recognition and would possibly be identified today. "They were attempting to remove copper wire from inside what we call a pad-mount enclosure — it's an electrical box or structure that contains high-voltage energized equipment," said Steve Conroy, a Southern California Edison spokesman. The fire caused a 12,000-volt line connected to the circuit to go out of service, Conroy said, and about 1,600 residences in Hemet and San Jacinto were affected by a brief power outage. All of which went pretty much unnoticed by lawabiding citizens sleeping soundly at that hour. Metal theft has plagued Southern California for more than a decade. Thieves cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage annually by swiping brass, copper and aluminum from city property, including fire hydrants, streetlights, wells and sprinklers. A law intended to deter metal theft took effect in December and requires recycling centers to take a customer's photo, thumbprint and identification for every transaction over $20. After three days, a check is mailed, or the customer may return to pick up their payment.Barbara Messinger, owner of P&T Metals Inc. in South El Monte, said fewer people are bringing in scrap material, but attributes it to the economy. "There's not as many housing projects, people aren't building, so we aren't getting the scrap from that and a lot of the construction companies," she said. Identification NOT required for voting however. She said copper was once especially attractive to thieves because it fetched nearly $4 per pound. But, she said, most recyclers now offer only $1.50. Because prices for the metal have plummeted, the attempted theft in San Jacinto was "unusual," said Dennis Gutierrez of the Sheriff's Department. "Unusual" but the source of dozens of new jokes at the Department and over at the Fire Station. "Before, we were literally in a daily fight with crooks stealing brass, copper and bronze," he said. "This year has seen a drastic drop. We don't get the calls we used to." Conroy said Edison has taken steps to mitigate metal theft, including installing surveillance. He said he hopes that the recent deaths discourage other thieves. Totally out of touch. Doesn't he know death is not a deterrent to crime? "It's obviously a very tragic incident and one that is a terrible and unfortunate reminder to people to stay out of high-voltage facilities," he said. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 If you're going to be a copper wire thief you might want to do a little research on the function of step-down transformers. On the other hand, Darwin always wins. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-06-03 19:48 |
| #6 Live by the wire, die by the wire. |
| Posted by: Walter Wriston 2009-06-03 19:37 |
| #5 and they would have been charged with the crime had they survived. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2009-06-03 17:35 |
| #4 Shocking crime. |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-06-03 16:46 |
| #3 I've had homeless steal 2 cent wire nuts on 440-volt street lighting. Geniuses |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-06-03 15:15 |
| #2 "It's obviously a very tragic incident and one that is a terrible and unfortunate reminder to people to stay out of high-voltage facilities," he said. Yeah, "tragic". I'm sure these two were pillars of the community who will be sorely missed... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-06-03 15:14 |
| #1 this should be put in under idiot of the day, or 2 idiots f the day wnder if that $20 worth of copper was worth it? |
| Posted by: funky skunk 2009-06-03 15:05 |