Copper thieves successful on second try

POMONA — If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

That may have been the motto for thieves who stole copper wiring from a Casey’s General Store construction site in Pomona this week.

Someone apparently tried to steal the wiring sometime late Sunday or early Monday, Undersheriff Steve Lunger, with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, said.

A representative with Casey’s, which is building a new store at 210 E. Franklin St., discovered damage to the wiring Monday morning, Lunger said. It had been cut, but no wiring was taken.

The next night, someone stole that section of wiring — about 43 feet — from the site, Lunger said. It was not immediately known if the same person who damaged the wiring also was responsible for the theft, Lunger said.

The loss was estimated at about $430, he said.

Law enforcement agencies have seen an increasing number of thefts of copper wiring, aluminum and other metal, Lunger said. He recommended construction crews secure such items when possible.