CISCO, Utah, Feb. 10, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Grand County sheriff’s deputies arrested an alleged thief of copper wire to the tune of thousands of pounds and $28,000 worth of the recyclable material, plus twice that in damage.
The just short of $100,000 caper was discovered Thursday when deputies were alerted to a suspicious vehicle next to the railroad tracks in Cisco, according to a post on social media by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. “Deputies came into contact with Jason Clay Pogue and his vehicle.”
During the investigation, it was discovered that Pogue was in possession of approximately $28,000 worth of stolen copper wire belonging to Union Pacific Railroad, the sheriff’s office said.
The news release did not say how many pounds of copper wire deputies found, but various websites, including the FBI, point out copper wire can sell for anywhere from $2 to $4 a pound for scrap to recyclers lacking any means to determine if the product is stolen.
The FBI has warned that copper wire theft nationally is a threat to public safety and even national security, with thieves motivated by quick profits and vulnerable targets.
A total of $63,000 in damage to Union Pacific occurred from Pogue’s activities, the sheriff’s office alleges, between the downtime and the cost of repairs from his extraction of the copper wire.
Pogue was arrested and booked into the Grand County Jail for investigation on potential felony theft and criminal mischief charges.
