LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – $30,000 worth of NV Energy copper wire was later found at encampment by Las Vegas police.
FOX5 obtained the arrest reports for Paul Andrews, Chad Shurman and Branden Henry. They all face grand larceny, $25K, but less than $100K.
Metro police said the theft happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at an NV Energy substation near Russell and I-15.
Police said an NV Energy troubleshooter was notified of an outage at the substation. They arrived and restored power, but would notify security of potential copper theft.
Security arrived and found that a fence was cut and multiple pieces of copper were cut from transformers. Surveillance video showed subjects breaking in and leaving just before 2 a.m.
Security called police to respond as the outage caused damage to a power station for Harry Reid International Airport, the Cosmopolitan, Allegiant Stadium and Mandalay Bay.
The scene was processed. Metro took gloves, a flashlight and a cup into evidence for DNA testing.
Police gathered additional surveillance video from nearby businesses showing the three suspects. One business told Metro one of the suspects, Andrews, usually comes in and pawns copper.
That same day around 8 p.m., police observed two vehicles in a dirt lot near Dean Martin and Patrick. Police made a suspicion stop for both vehicles for possible illegal dumping and trespassing.
In one of the vehicles, police found Andrews and Henry. The second vehicle, which was stolen, had Shurman and his girlfriend inside.
In an interview with Andrews, he admitted he was at the crime scene and told police it was “stupid.” He told police he was living on the streets and always had copper on him to survive and make money.
In Metro’s interview with Henry, he didn’t want to answer questions. Police noted he was wearing the same clothes that he was seen in surveillance video with.
In Shurman’s interview, he initially said he didn’t know anything about copper, but would later admit he knew Andrews had some, but didn’t know where it came from. Police said Shurman matched the description in surveillance video.
Shurman’s girlfriend said Andrews “hit a lick,” which usually means successfully committing a crime. She said Andrews sold copper for $600 and split it between the other men.
At their encampment, police found multiple copper wires.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact LVMPD Detectives by phone at 702-828-3204. To remain anonymous, use the Crime Stoppers website.
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