March 28, 2024
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Grand jury indicts eight in string of copper thefts

BANGOR – Eight men believed to be responsible for the theft of more than $100,000 worth of copper wire from businesses from Lincoln to Island Falls between May and September were indicted Tuesday on theft, burglary and other charges by the Penobscot County grand jury.

The men were arrested and charged in October in what could be the largest ring of copper thieves and the biggest seizures of stolen copper yet in the state.

They allegedly stole copper wire spools, welding rods and tools, and ground rods from businesses, hospitals, telephone companies and town governments, East Millinocket Police Chief Garold Cramp said last year at the time of their arrests.

The following were indicted Tuesday on the following charges:

Richie M. Day, 22, Medway, three counts of theft by unauthorized taking, four counts of burglary.

Jon A. Ladd, 24, Medway, theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of burglary, aggravated criminal mischief, receiving stolen property.

Ricky Ladd, 20, Medway, theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of burglary, aggravated criminal mischief, receiving stolen property.

Corey Loomis, 18, West Enfield, two counts of burglary, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, aggravated criminal mischief.

Michael Martin, 19, Mattawamkeag, theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of burglary.

Travis A. McMoarn, 22, Mattawamkeag, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of burglary.

Robert K. Mulligan, 30, Howland, two counts of burglary, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, aggravated criminal mischief.

Paul R. York, 21, Medway, five counts of theft by unauthorized taking, eight counts of burglary.

They are scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 1 in Penobscot County Superior Court.

The motive for the thefts was money, said Deputy District Attorney Michael Roberts, citing a spike in the cost of copper last year that has increased thefts of the metal throughout the country.

“Copper is worth something like $2 a pound so it doesn’t take that much to accumulate a lot of value in what is stolen. It’s hard to believe how fast copper adds up,” Cramp said when the eight were arrested in October.

“The thing that’s killing everybody is the replacement value. It fluctuates. If you have to replace what’s stolen and it takes two months, the value of it might have gone up $2,000 in that time,” Cramp said.

Authorities allege the suspects were breaking into sheds, workshops and storage areas to steal the copper, then selling it to recycling centers where copper scraps can draw big money, according to investigators.

For East Millinocket police, the investigation began with the theft of about $46,000 in copper wire spools from Gilman Electrical Supply Co. on Medway Road in Medway, Cramp said.

That investigation led to the recovery of about 150 pounds of copper wire worth as much as $85,000 gradually taken from the Katahdin Paper Co. mill in East Millinocket, Cramp said last year.

If convicted, the men could be ordered to pay restitution to the alleged victims that include other Katahdin-area businesses.


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