Crime & Safety
Copper Thieves Accused of Causing Power Outages in Odenton
Police arrested four people who they said cut wires from a utility pole on Annapolis Road early Friday morning. About 1,800 BGE customers lost power.
Updated: (4:47 p.m.) – Anne Arundel County police said four people cut copper wire from utility pole in Odenton, leading to power outages for nearly 1,800 BGE customers Friday morning.
The police department said it has arrested four people in connection to the theft of nearly 250 feet of copper wire from a site at 1038 Annapolis Road.
The arrested people include Jason Nelson Tomlinson, 29, of Clinton; Jim Brown Nichols, 32, of Odenton; Michael Joseph Spenard, 24, of Suitland; and Melissa Ann Howell, 27, of Waldorf. They were all charged with theft of under $1,000 and malicious destruction of property.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Kevin Davis said police learned of the thefts when a resident called 911 to report suspicious activity. Officers stopped the vehicle as it was leaving the scene because it was missing a headlight.
Davis said officers found the copper wire and a variety of burglary tools in the car.
Most electricity service was restored within an hour overnight, BGE officials said.
According to BGE, the copper wire has a value of about $300, based on rate of $3 per pound. BGE also reported costs in replacing the wire during restoration.
A Major Concern
Police officials said the arrests underscore an ongoing concern about the theft of precious metals in the county.
County Police Chief Kevin Davis said it has become common for thieves to cut utility wires or steal from abandoned buildings or construction sites. The metal is sold at any of the six scrapyards in the county, and the thieves commonly use the money to buy drugs, Davis said.
Davis said 69 percent of all crime in the county is categorized as theft. The department is in the process of analyzing crime reports to determine how many of those thefts involve scrap metal.
Davis said he'd like to see stricter laws relating to scrap metal sales. Currently, it is difficult to track the origin of metal after it arrives at a scrapyard; he advised anyone with copper wire or other precious metals to mark their items if possible.
This would not be the first time copper thieves were accused of impacting BGE systems. In October, police issued photos of a man they suspected of stealing copper from a BGE plant on Waugh Chapel Road.
The police department said it has arrested four people in connection to the theft of nearly 250 feet of copper wire from a site at 1038 Annapolis Road.
The arrested people include Jason Nelson Tomlinson, 29, of Clinton; Jim Brown Nichols, 32, of Odenton; Michael Joseph Spenard, 24, of Suitland; and Melissa Ann Howell, 27, of Waldorf. They were all charged with theft of under $1,000 and malicious destruction of property.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Kevin Davis said police learned of the thefts when a resident called 911 to report suspicious activity. Officers stopped the vehicle as it was leaving the scene because it was missing a headlight.
Davis said officers found the copper wire and a variety of burglary tools in the car.
Most electricity service was restored within an hour overnight, BGE officials said.
According to BGE, the copper wire has a value of about $300, based on rate of $3 per pound. BGE also reported costs in replacing the wire during restoration.
A Major Concern
Police officials said the arrests underscore an ongoing concern about the theft of precious metals in the county.
County Police Chief Kevin Davis said it has become common for thieves to cut utility wires or steal from abandoned buildings or construction sites. The metal is sold at any of the six scrapyards in the county, and the thieves commonly use the money to buy drugs, Davis said.
Davis said 69 percent of all crime in the county is categorized as theft. The department is in the process of analyzing crime reports to determine how many of those thefts involve scrap metal.
Davis said he'd like to see stricter laws relating to scrap metal sales. Currently, it is difficult to track the origin of metal after it arrives at a scrapyard; he advised anyone with copper wire or other precious metals to mark their items if possible.
This would not be the first time copper thieves were accused of impacting BGE systems. In October, police issued photos of a man they suspected of stealing copper from a BGE plant on Waugh Chapel Road.
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