Would-be copper thieves cause damage

MINER, Mo. -- An attempt by a thief to steal copper wire will be expensive to repair. However, officials said, more importantly, it could have cost someone's life.

Sometime Tuesday, the Miner substation was broken into in an attempt to steal copper connected to substation hardware. According to Sean Vanslyke, general manager and CEO for SEMO Electric Cooperative, the attempted theft was discovered during Tuesday evening's rain and lightening storm by a co-op crew working to resolve power issues.

"The damage created an extremely dangerous situation and could cost thousands of dollars for repairs," Vanslyke said.

On Wednesday, the general manager hadn't tallied the costs but noted it required multiple people and hours to make repairs. On average, he added, it costs about $5,000 to repair damage by thieves and equipment affected by the theft.

He said whomever broke into the substation attempted to cut into a 7,200-volt line. Vanslyke said the line may have "arched" prompting the thief to stop.

"We are happy we didn't find someone seriously hurt or dead in the substation," Vanslyke said. "Someone probably got lucky last night."

He valued the copper wire at about $30.

The theft of copper from an electrical substation is a felony, according to Vanslyke, who added it could also be considered an act of a terrorist. Such copper thefts result in electrical outages, he said, and the repairs are a direct cost to the members of the co-op, which is a not-for-profit entity.

"However, our biggest concern is the fatality aspect," Vanslyke said. He said not only is it a danger to the individual attempting to steal the wire but also the employee who must make repairs because the substation is no longer grounded.

The Miner substation provides electrical power to a little more than 1,000 businesses and homes in the Miner area. Vanslyke said some customers may have noticed their lights blink or had a brief outage as a result of the attempted theft.

The incident was reported to local law enforcement, he said.

Also the SEMO Electric Co-op and other Missouri co-ops have partnered in an attempt to try to curb copper thefts especially from substations, Vanslyke said. The public can also help by calling 855-267-7379 to report any thefts or attempted thefts of copper electrical wire, and if a tip leads to an arrest and conviction of individual, the person providing the tip is eligible for a $1,000 reward.