Northfield Man Charged with Stealing Copper Wire from St. Olaf College

A Northfield man has been charged with stealing copper wire from earlier this summer.

Anthony Cole Young, 27, is charged with theft, a gross misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. He is also charged with driving with a revoked driver’s license, which has a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court, were called to the radio tower owned by St. Olaf to investigate a theft.

College public safety officers told police that they watched Young drive off the property with a large amount of cable in plain view in his car. The officers stopped Young, and he got out of his car.

The St. Olaf officers told Young repeatedly to get back in his car, but he refused, instead opening his car’s trunk and pulling out a “large amount” of copper wiring, according to the complaint.

When police arrived, Young told them that he had taken the wire out of a Dumpster, the complaint says. However, college officials said the wire had been taken from spools near the tower, and that the stolen wire was valued at $835.

Police checked Young’s criminal record and discovered that his driver’s license had been revoked.

Young’s criminal history includes a felony conviction in 2010 for possession of marijuana.

He is scheduled to make a first appearance on the latest charges Sept. 17 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

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