Arrest made in copper, brass theft in Raymond

PORTLAND – A 50-year-old western Maine man has been charged with stealing nearly $10,000 worth of copper and brass from his former employer as law enforcement officials attempt to stem a rash of thefts of high-priced metals.

Ralph Whalen of Peru was charged with three counts of theft and burglary for allegedly taking the metals from Dielectric Communications Inc., a telecommunications equipment manufacturer in Raymond.

Whalen is accused of stealing the metal and selling it to scrap metal dealers in Maine and New Hampshire. He was implicated after police charged him with stealing copper scraps from a business in Mexico.

Two weeks ago, Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies charged Jennifer Doiron, 30, with theft for allegedly stealing a half-ton copper rod from Dielectric, where she worked for six years. Another Dielectric employee, David LeBlond, was issued a summons Tuesday on a charge of theft after he was found in possession of more than 100 pounds of stolen copper, police said.

Law enforcement officials said copper prices have soared, making it attractive to criminals. Copper now sells for about $3.50 a pound, about double the price of a year ago, but scrap metal brings much less.

“Right now, copper appears to have a very high value, so people are going to get the most bang for their buck stealing it now rather than when it’s low,” said Lt. Don Foss of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department.

The arrests are the latest in a string of incidents across Maine in which people have broken into electric company substations, plumbing businesses, junkyards and homes in search of valuable metals.

In Washington County, two men were arrested last month in connection with house burglaries in Harrington and Addison in which copper and brass fittings were ripped from the ceilings and floors and then resold.