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Jun 17, 2008 9:23 pm US/Eastern
Brazen Copper Thieves Target Foreclosed Homes
LAWRENCE (WBZ) ―
Lawrence police say thieves are taking advantage of the foreclosure crisis by stealing valuable metal.
A triple-decker for sale in Lawrence is an example of the problems copper thefts are having on the sales of homes. This home has no copper pipes because they have been stolen.
Lawrence police say Miguel Castro stole them on Monday and then took a cab.
"He contacted a cab, took him in front of the house, went inside, went in with a box, came out with all this copper," said Lawrence police Chief John Romero.
Police say Castro and the cabbie then went to the Windfield Alloy Salvage Yard, a place Castro had been before.
On June 9, he brought in 90 pounds of copper and got $180. On June 10, he brought in 144 pounds for $288, police say, and on June 11, he brought in 132 pounds for $264.
Then on June 14, he returned with 179 pounds for $358, totaling more than $1,000 worth of copper in one week.
So, when Castro showed up again on Monday with another $400 worth of copper, the manager called police.
"He is a legit business person in the city and clearly he doesn't want to see this happen either," Romero said.
When police arrived, Castro took off but police were able to find him with the help of the salvage yard's surveillance system.
They have Castro off the streets, but police say there are many more just like him.
So the city's mayor has set up a task force, and police are making extra efforts to check on vacant properties, because what garners a thief hundreds in cash can cost a homeowner thousands to fix.
So far this year, there have been 35 reported copper thefts in Lawrence, most from foreclosed homes.
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