4 accused of stealing more than 1,000 pounds of copper wiring in Wake County – WRAL
A Wendell man is the latest to be arrested in connection with the theft of copper wiring from a North Carolina demolition company.
According to case warrants, the four people charged were employees of 4 Seasons Demolition working at the site of the former state DMV headquarters on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. The thefts occurred on Aug. 29 and on Sept. 2.
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Quavon Gilmore was arrested on Thursday. Elijah Walker, Michael Moore and Willie Jacobs also face charges connected to the thefts.
Warrants allege more than 1,000 pounds of copper were stolen and resold to Foss Recycling, a company on Garner Road that buys scrap metal, for more than $1,200. The copper was initially delivered for 4 Seasons to use, according to the Raleigh Police Department.
Foss Recycling did not immediately return WRAL’s request for comment on Friday.
WRAL has reported on the soaring price of copper, which makes it a target for thieves.
“We know that it’s easy for them to remove as well as you don’t need many tools. It doesn’t take a lot of sophistication to remove copper from buildings and places like that. So that I think makes it a very soft target and easy for thieves to go after,” said CEO of local security company Guardiex Jeffery Tanksley.
In May, Raleigh City Council voted to award a $1.9 million contract to 4 Seasons Demolition for abatement and demolition of the site to prepare the space for future development.
“You’ve got to put better deterrence in place. One would be better lighting, access control points, as well as just having a response,” said Tanksley.
Court records showed that all suspects have been granted bond, with at least two set to appear in court in the coming weeks.
