WV bill targets copper, scrap thieves

WV bill targets copper, scrap thieves

	Published : Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:59 By : Agencies Print this Story

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AFX) - With thieves pulling downspouts from home gutters, sawing off public fountain piping and climbing utility poles to steal metal -- and sometimes dying in the process -- lawmakers proposed a crackdown Wednesday.

House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, and other delegates want salvage yards and others who buy scrap metal to demand additional information from sellers, and toughen the penalties for scofflaws.

These dealers must already collect names, addresses, vehicle license numbers and proofs of ownership. House Bill 2748 would require more details about the seller's vehicle and a photocopy of a driver's license or other photo identification. Dealers must also log in the kind, form and weight of the metal.

The legislation would mandate that dealers report sales involving at least 25 pounds of copper, railroad track material or aluminum to local law enforcement. The threshold has been 100 pounds.

Police, meanwhile, could confiscate metal from scrap buyers upon 'a reasonable belief' that it had been stolen, the bill proposes. Investigators would then have 30 days to show a judge that the metal is evidence of a crime.

China's booming economy and other factors have driven up demand for scrap metals, particularly for copper. That metal now sells at scrap yards for $2.50 to $3 a pound, while the per-pound price for aluminum is between 60 and 70 cents.

The soaring prices have spurred a rash of thefts throughout the country. The Kansas Legislature has proposed a measure similar to West Virginia's this month, while lawmakers in Georgia are also weighing measures to curb scrap thefts.

Delegate Kevin Craig, D-Cabell and a co-sponsor of the West Virginia bill, cited the recent theft of copper downspouts from a residence in his district. About $20,000 worth of bronze, including a door, was stolen last year from a mausoleum at Huntington's Spring Hill Cemetery.

Earlier this month, thieves cut $1,500 worth of copper pipes and valves from the fountain in the city's Ritter Park.

'The park board already has a tight budget,' said Craig, who lives in Huntington. 'These situations call for tougher penalties.'

For those who fail to comply or knowingly accept falsified information, the bill would double fines for first offenders to between $1,000 and $2,000. It would also create penalties for repeat violators.

A second offense would mean double the new fine, plus a suspended business license for six months. Further offenses would be treated as felonies, punished by a one- to five-year prison term, a $3,000 to $5,000 fine and a revoked business license.

Craig, who worked in the railroad industry for nine years, said metal thieves also threaten public safety.

'Thieves are stealing wiring for signals that control train movements,' Craig said. 'These thefts can interfere with electricity transmissions or rail lines, and put the public in danger.'

At least three people were electrocuted last year while trying to steal copper cable from West Virginia utility lines. Also in 2006, two would-be thieves got lost and had to be rescued from an idled underground coal mine in Kanawha County coal mine while on the hunt for scrap metal.