I’m typically not a suspicious person. But I believe in saying something if you see something. You know when something just doesn’t seem right. That’s what happened to me on April 12 while I was doing my meter reading route in Bethel, New York.
This area where I was is rural in nature and many of the residents have seasonal homes in this part of New York state. While I was there, I came across a group of people I did not recognize outside a seasonal home, standing near stacks of neatly cut copper pipes.
In case you are not familiar with the issues surrounding copper, let me give you a little background. The value of metals, particularly copper, makes it a popular item to steal. As a utility, we have to be watchful of our equipment, particularly our copper wires, to protect them from thieves who take the copper and bring it to recycling centers for cash. Redemption centers can require people to show identification when bringing metal for cash.
Now, back to my story. I asked the group outside the home what they were doing. One said they were looking for a rabbit under the crawl space beneath the house. I left them alone. But my suspicions were aroused. I knew something didn’t seem right. At my next stop, I asked the neighbor call the authorities.
I found out later that the Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputies did respond to the neighbor’s call. An investigation indicated the suspects had crawled underneath the home and, using a battery-powered saw, removed several copper pipes. Deputies tracked the vehicle carrying the stolen goods to a nearby recycling center. One of alleged suspects used her driver’s license to redeem the copper for cash. She and her accomplices were arrested in the next day. Deputies continue investigating whether the four are linked to any other recent area thefts.
I was proud to help the community and represent Iberdrola USA’s subsidiary, NYSEG.
By the way, here something that many people may not know about Bethel, New York. In 1969, it was the home of the famous Woodstock rock concert. More than 500,000 people were on Max Yasgur’s farm for “three days of peace and music.”
