Copper thieves knock out phone service to 800 in suburban KC

PARKVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Repair crews are working to restore service to hundreds of suburban Kansas City telephone customers after thieves cut a phone line to steal $10 worth of copper.

AT&T said Thursday that the thief severed the line to steal only a small section of copper, leaving as many as 800 customers in the Parkville area without phone and Internet service.

Gerald Summa, one of the customers who lost service, said the theft is "like robbing somebody for $10 and killing them."

It may take several days to complete the repairs. Officials told KMBC-TV that the severed wires date to the 1960s and are not color-coded like current wires, making it more difficult to reconnect the lines.

Copper thefts are becoming more common nationwide as the price today is around $3.85 a pound versus $1.40 two years ago.

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Information from KMBC-TV: http://www.kmbc.com