CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) - Charlestown police are investigating a rash of copper piping thefts from mostly vacant summer homes.
Chief Jeffrey Allen says copper pipes have been stolen from at least nine homes this winter.
He tells The Westerly Sun (https://bit.ly/O1v948 ) that vacant summer homes in deserted neighborhoods make attractive targets for metal thieves.
He suspects the same person or group of people is responsible for the thefts because they are similar in their execution: copper pipes have been taken from crawl spaces beneath many houses in the area, as well as copper parts in outdoor showers.
There have been no arrests.
The chief suspects the copper is being sold as scrap, but says it’s difficult for scrap metal dealers to determine whether copper is stolen.
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Information from: The Westerly Sun, https://www.thewesterlysun.com
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