Sep 18, 2007 10:36 am US/Eastern
Storm Drain Covers Stolen For Scrap Metal Sale
by Karen Anderson
PEMBROKE, N.H. (WBZ) ―
People living along a rural road in Pembroke, N.H., are being asked to keep a lookout. Someone has been stealing their storm drain grates.
"It's dangerous, because I'm out walking my little girls," said Jaclyn Doucette. "If I was jogging and didn't see it, I could trip and fall, and if a kid was outside, they could really get seriously hurt."
Police say the thieves are hauling away the grates to sell the steel to scrap metal yards – for about $5 a grate. More than two dozen grates have been stolen in Pembroke and nearby Epsom in the past three months.
"It could cause significant damage to the vehicle, as far as blowing out a tire, causing someone to lose control of their vehicle," Pembroke Police Officer Gary Allen explained.
It's pretty easy to pull one of the grates out., although they weigh about 100 lbs. The hard part is tracking them down.
Usually dealers sell steel by the truckful, which includes all kinds of material.
"Sometimes these grates can be buried at the bottom of a load, and they may be very difficult to spot by some of the scrap yards," Allen said.
People who've worked security at the yards know all too well metal's become a major target.
"It's money, its survival for some people," one security man said.
Jaclyn Doucette has a message for whoever's stealing from her street
"Think about what if you had a child, and they got hurt," she said.
Anyone with information should call Pembroke Police at 603-485-9173.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
