Six charged with copper wire theft from streetlights in St. Paul
Six people were charged last week in Ramsey County for allegedly stealing copper wire from street lights in St. Paul — an ongoing problem that officials say has cost the city millions of dollars to repair in recent years.
Five of the people charged last Friday were allegedly part of an organized ring that stole copper wire and sold it to a metal recycling firm in Blaine.
The accused organizer of the operation — and among the people charged last week — was 40-year-old Kyaw Klay of St. Paul. He and the other defendants face charges including damage or theft of electric lines, first-degree damage to property and possession of burglary or theft tools — all felonies.
According to the criminal complaints:
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A confidential informant told St. Paul police in January that Klay led a group of people who stole copper wire from streetlights in the city.
That prompted an investigation over several weeks that included a tracking device placed on Klay’s car, and surveillance that allegedly showed the suspects cutting wire from streetlights and selling it at Dem-Con metal recycling in Blaine.
Damage from two of the incidents of copper wire theft — totaling more than 40 streetlights — was estimated at more than $200,000.
The complaints also say an undercover officer arranged with Klay to sell Dem-Con stolen copper wire that had “City of St. Paul Public Works” stamped on its insulation. The complaint alleges that he was “so familiar to employees at Dem-Con that they no longer asked him for his identification when he brought copper in to sell to them.”
Dem-Con officials told KARE 11 that they are glad the suspects were caught but did not comment on what’s alleged in the criminal complaints.
The sixth person charged with alleged copper wire theft last Friday was 44-year-old Gay Gay of St. Paul, in a case separate from those of the other five.
According to the criminal complaint, Gay was found in a vehicle after-hours in a park along Warner Road in St. Paul on Feb. 23. Officers allegedly found “a large amount of cut copper wire,” stripped wire insulation and tools in the vehicle.
Officers allegedly had seen Gay walking and stopping near several streetlights. Investigators later found more than 45 streetlights along Warner Road that “had fresh damage and copper wiring freshly cut and stripped from them.” Damage was estimated at $225,000.
Lawmakers at the Minnesota Capitol have been pushing legislation this session to help curb copper wire theft. It would require sellers of scrap metal to obtain a state-issued license and make it illegal to buy from someone missing a license.