Suspects sought in theft of nearly $100,000 worth of copper pipes

Reporter: Rich Kolko
Published: Updated:
Credit: via Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a vehicle suspected of being involved in a recent theft of nearly $100,000 worth of copper pipes.

According to the sheriff’s office, a driver in a pickup truck pulling a trailer was caught on camera by a nearby business after stealing a trailer-load of copper pipes from the WINK transmitter site in Charlotte County.

The theft happened overnight at the site between July 23 and 24 on State Road 31, just north of Cook Brown Road.

After cutting a gate, the thieves loaded up 62 copper pipes the were 25 feet in length and weighed about 100 lbs. each.

The suspect vehicle is being identified as an early 2000s blue Dodge Dakota.

Thieves also stole 12,000 feet of copper wire from streetlight control boxes on SR-82 near Columbus Boulevard in Lehigh Acres between August 3 and August 7. That copper is valued at $30,000. If you have information on this crime, you can call Crime Stoppers at the number above.

Credit: via Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

“A lot of people see this is a crime of intent so they can scrap it and get a whole bunch of money for it … We’re working our best to track this down for you guys,” said Cpl. Ron Beck.

Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect or who has information about the case is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000. Tips can also be made online at the SWFL Crime Stopper website or by submitting a tip on the P3Tips mobile app.

You can also contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-0013.

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