Sarnia police foiled the plans of three alleged copper-wire thieves early Thursday morning.
Following complaints of ongoing thefts of copper wire in Chemical Valley area, police set up surveillance near Vidal Street.
Police said during the very early morning hours, three men cut a hole in the fence of a plant, entered onto the property and began cutting copper wire from a spool. The men then placed wire onto the back of a contractor's work truck within the plant and drove back towards the point of entry.
Police said employees in the plant saw the incident and stopped the truck. The men then jumped out and began running through the refinery.
A Sarnia Police Service COPPS Unit officer, with the help of a plant employee, tracked down the men after finding footprints in a fresh snowfall
Three suspects were arrested a short time later without any incident.
Police said an estimated 500 pounds of large gauge copper wire, worth around $1,350, was loaded onto the contractor’s pickup truck.
James John Dionne, 45, David Jason Petrany, 49, and Roy Ronald Weatherhead, 46, all from Sarnia, face one count each of break and enter, one count of theft under $5,000, one count of theft over $5,000, and one count of mischief over $5,000.
All three were being held pending a bail hearing and have since been released.
Around 500 pounds of large gauge copper wire. 13 February 2020. (Photo by Sarnia Police Service)