Colusa County Authorities Issue PSA, Seek Leads on Recent Copper Wire Thefts
Originally published by the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office:
The Colusa County Sheriff’s Department is seeking information, or leads on people stealing copper wire around the Colusa County area.
What we’re seeing are suspects breaking into irrigation pumps and electrical junction boxes to pull, cut, and strip the wires to these very important sources of power. The stolen wire stops the flow of electricity, intern stopping the flow of necessary water to our county’s life blood, agriculture. This crime has impacted farmers all over Colusa County and surrounding counties. This has also incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and theft. This particular problem is costing farmers, taxpayers, and insurance companies on a scale unseen before.
Thieves oftentimes will look to sell the scrap copper to recycling facilities in and out of the state, including recycling facilities in surrounding counties.
We are asking for the public’s help in the battle against thieves who are continuing to steal copper wire from irrigation power systems in and around any water source or agriculture producing land.
Although copper wire theft occurs on mostly private property, thieves have also targeted railroad power systems, and new home construction sites.
This crime wave typically occurs in the slower, colder months, and is not reported until the spring due to inactivity. If you see any suspicious vehicles, or any of the indicators described above, please call the Colusa County Sheriff’s Department and report it at 530-458-0200.
