City of Tonawanda Police nabbed two men who allegedly tried to steal copper and other scrap metal from the Spaulding Fibre complex. One of the suspects also faces felony weapons possession.
Police made the arrests about 6:30 a.m. Monday, after a tip from a resident. The first responding officer found the two men loading scrap into a truck at the Dodge Drive entrance to the long-abandoned industrial site.
“Based on the contents of the pickup, we figured they were in there at least half the night scrapping,” Lt. Fredric Foels said, adding that the alleged thieves went into the building itself. “We didn’t think there was anything left in there to take,” he said.
Police charged Christopher H. Lee, 36, 185 Grace St., Buffalo, with felony possession of a weapon after they allegedly found a blackjack sap — a lead-loaded weapon formerly used by many law enforcement officials — in the truck.
Lee also was charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, criminal mischief and conspiracy, all of which are misdemeanors, plus several traffic violations, including improper plates. Lee has 13 prior criminal convictions, according to police. He faces a felony hearing on Thursday in Tonawanda City Court.
Adam R. Ross, 18, of 48 Shelley Court, Town of Tonawanda, was charged with six misdemeanors including two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a weapon, conspiracy, criminal mischief and criminal trespass. He is being held in lieu of $500 bail.
A nearby resident called police Monday morning and alerted them that a man was walking around the fenced-in property. When the two suspects saw the officer approach, they dropped some of the scrap they were loading and hopped into the truck before being told to stop.
Police learned that the license plates on the truck had been switched with those from a dump truck at a Buffalo-based service shop. Lee and Ross told police they were taking the scrap for a third party.
Foels said the two filled the truck bed with copper and other scrap, but the amount was not enough to raise the charges to felonies.
The soaring value of copper has led to several incidents involving copper theft from homes and businesses across the country.
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CITY OF TONAWANDA: Copper thieves caught
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