A man from East Butler is charged with stealing copper wire from a concrete plant in Harmar, and the business says it will cost them nearly $16,500 to replace it.
Colton Shane Miner, 24, faces felony charges of theft, receiving stolen property, theft of secondary metal, and summary charges of criminal mischief and trespass, as per Harmar police.
He is waiting for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Michael Girardi.
An employee of Swank Construction Co. contacted Harmar police on Friday to report the theft of copper wire from its concrete plant on Guys Run Road. The employee had photos from an on-site camera showing a black Dodge truck involved.
The surveillance images reveal that the truck entered the property at 5:17 a.m. on March 29 and departed 10 minutes later, carrying the stolen copper wire in its truck bed, according to the complaint.
Harmar police discovered that the same truck had been identified as trespassing at Panza Supply on Dremmel Road later that day. A Panza employee said he confronted the driver, identified as Miner, three times about his presence on the property.
Miner first claimed he was lost, then said his car had broken down, and later claimed a passenger in the truck told him to leave, according to the complaint. Panza also had surveillance footage showing the stolen copper wire in the back of the truck.
A Harmar officer reached out to one of Miner’s family members, who indicated that Miner knows someone who works for Swank. Police attempted to arrange for Miner to provide a statement, but he stopped responding, according to the complaint.
