Oct 6 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Patrick Malone The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

 

Copper thieves are posing more than a nuisance to the community. Police said overnight Wednesday electrical lines were cut by metal thieves, exposing live electrical lines that posed a threat to electrocute anyone who made contact with them.

Police have no suspects in the incident, which happened in the 200 block of North Elizabeth Street.

Thieves targeted copper electrical wiring on three power poles in the area, according to Pueblo police Detective Brandon Colbert. One of the copper ground lines was cut in such a way that electricity arced between a transformer and a meter.

Colbert said the voltage of the exposed electricity was enough to kill.

"Just walking past it, you could feel the charge coming off it," Colbert said. "If anyone had touched it, they'd have been dead."

Colbert said the culprits were fortunate they weren't killed in the process of stealing copper, and so was anyone else who passed by.

"Either they knew what they were doing, or it was just luck of the draw," Colbert said. "Either way, someone could have been killed."

Copper thieves, including those who committed the crime Colbert mentioned, snip electrical wires at points that they can easily reach. That translates into exposed, deadly electricity within the reach of most people who pass by them.

Utility crews spent Thursday afternoon working to fix the exposed electrical lines before anyone was hurt.

Nationwide, copper theft has been on the rise. To date, five people across the country have died from electrocution during suspected metal thefts. One of the deaths occurred in Denver earlier this year.

Colbert said anyone aware of electrical lines that have been damaged by metal theft should report it immediately to police or Aquila utility company.

He warned people not to investigate these incidents themselves because of the serious risk of injury.