Prince William County Plagued By Copper Thefts
Prince William County In Virginia Seeks Help From Public To Track Theives
Prince William County police are asking for help solving a string of copper thefts from homes in the Dale City and the Woodbridge areas since June. Homes that are being targeted in these areas are either vacant or under renovation, Jonathan Perok stated.
Houses have sustained up to $25,000 in water damages and, in some cases, they have gas leaks following the thefts, police said.
Prince William police spokesman Mark Merriman said copper, which is usually found in water heaters, appears to be the burglars’ main target.
Copper is sold in the high value on secondary market, said Herbert Spears, president of Action Sheet Metal, an Alexandria-based company who has a warehouse located in the Woodbridge Area of the county. The company produces copper gutters.
Copper that’s stolen is taken to a scrap yards and sold as scrap, and shiny copper, the most popular type, goes for something like $3 a pound at scrap yards. Tarnished copper is also commonly stolen and sells for about $2.75 a pound, Spears stated.
A home located on Bristol Court in the Dale City area sustained about $6,400 in damages to its water heater and boiler. Approximately 70 feet of copper tubing was stolen from the home there.
According to Prince William County, there have been at least eight other copper thefts at homes in eastern Prince William County dating back to 25 June 2011. The neighborhoods targeted include the Cloverdale, Darbydale and Forestdale neighborhoods in Dale City and Marumsco Hills in Woodbridge, Virginia, police stated.
Police believe, the copper thefts are not the work of one person. Police is asking anyone with any information to call 703-792-6500 or should they see any suspicious activity around vacant homes, to please report any smell of gas or strange odors.