Chicago: City Worker Allegedly Caught Red Handed Stealing Copper Wire From Midway Airport
We all know times are hard for people who are out of work, and that has led to increased theft, especially theft of precious metals, including copper. In
fact, according to the New York Times, “Near-record prices for copper, platinum, aluminum and other metals have spurred a resurgence in the past several months in the theft of common items that in better economic times might be overlooked — among them, catalytic converters from automobiles and copper wiring that is being stripped out of overhead power lines, tornado warning sirens, coal mines and foreclosed homes, where thieves sometimes tear down walls to get to copper pipes and wiring.”
But why would a city worker engage in copper theft?According to Cook county prosecutors, a worker who pumped gas at Midway Airport, David Coates, was caught stealing copper from the airport.
CBS Chicago reporting:
On Tuesday, Coates was captured on video leaving his work site in his truck to cut pieces of runway copper wire.Chicago Police investigated the thefts and found that he had taken approximately 500 feet of wire since Aug. 12, prosecutors said.Coates allegedly had taken the wire, valued at nearly $700, and sold it at a scrap yard.Investigators also recovered a pair of wire cutters from the defendant when they confronted him about the thefts.Coates, 57, of Chicago was charged with one count of theft and is facing up to five years in prison if convicted. Bond was set at $25,000.
Bond has been set for Coates at $25,000.
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
How stupid. To lose a city job for peanuts and face a jail sentence. He should be jailed for stupidity as well as theft.
What a dumb a*s!
This is so dumb. The money he made wasn’t worth the crime.
I concur with the other posts: why risk losing a seemingly secure position over a paltry $700. Which in retrospect, would only last a day in an economy like ours. Not going to be too hard on him, though. Whom amongst us hasn’t done something so stupid that it ended costing us big time in the long run.