Sheriff Investigating West Ashley Copper Thefts

To legally sell any quantity of scrap metal in South Carolina a person is required to get a permit through his or her county sheriff, but the problem the permits were designed to combat — the theft of copper pipes, tubes and wires — remains a problem.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office is investigating two cases of copper thefts in West Ashley since Jan. 22, according to CCSO incident reports.

In both cases the thief disassembled air conditioning units in order to remove the copper coils and other parts.

The owner of a rental property at 2456 Swallow Drive in the Longbranch Estates neighborhood found the AC unit at his property in pieces around 9:45 a.m. Jan. 22.

The last time he had been to the home on Jan. 17, the AC unit was intact and functioning. The stolen copper pieces are estimated to be worth approximately $500, the damage caused to the home by the theft was estimated at $4,000, according to the report.

Another case of a dismantled AC unit was reported the same day at AKS Karate Charleston/Krav Maga at 1250 Wappoo Road, according to another report. The theft occurred sometime between 9:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and 6 a.m. Jan. 22. Investigators found tire tracks and muddy footprints on the remains of the AC unit on the side of the building. The victims told deputies two other AC units at the facility had been dismantled in a similar manner the previous week.

The value of the copper removed from the AC unit at AKS was estimated at $250, and overall damage caused to the AC unit was estimated at $3,000, according to the report.