A copper thief nearly destroyed a building in Lancaster City after stealing a copper pipe that caused a flood.
This was a relatively small copper theft. The suspect only got away with a single piece of pipe worth about $50.
But it resulted in a flood that caused a massive amount of damage.
The theft happened over the weekend at this four-story brick building on the first block of West James Street in the city. Construction crews tell us the person got in through a chute and bypassed tools and computers worth thousands.
Instead, they focused on a copper pipe worth about $50. That pipe was a live water line and when it was cut, the first and second floor flooded.
Now crews are working to repair the building. No word on how much it will cost, but reports say it will be more than $100,000.
“It’s sad that people got to do this stuff,” commented a frustrated Jeremy Groff of Eden Contracting. “Get a job. Everyone else has a job. We work hard for our money. You’re going to come in here and steal stuff that don’t belong to you, learn to be a little more responsible with yourself.”
CBS 21 spoke to one of the tenants of the building and he said everyone is insured. As of now, police have no suspects. They are checking surveillance cameras from the area.
This was a relatively small copper theft. The suspect only got away with a single piece of pipe worth about $50.
But it resulted in a flood that caused a massive amount of damage.
The theft happened over the weekend at this four-story brick building on the first block of West James Street in the city. Construction crews tell us the person got in through a chute and bypassed tools and computers worth thousands.
Instead, they focused on a copper pipe worth about $50. That pipe was a live water line and when it was cut, the first and second floor flooded.
Now crews are working to repair the building. No word on how much it will cost, but reports say it will be more than $100,000.
“It’s sad that people got to do this stuff,” commented a frustrated Jeremy Groff of Eden Contracting. “Get a job. Everyone else has a job. We work hard for our money. You’re going to come in here and steal stuff that don’t belong to you, learn to be a little more responsible with yourself.”
CBS 21 spoke to one of the tenants of the building and he said everyone is insured. As of now, police have no suspects. They are checking surveillance cameras from the area.