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Copyright 2008 Savannah Morning News

Savannah Morning News (Georgia)

May 16 2008 Friday

SECTION: BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS

LENGTH: 653 words,

HEADLINE: Copper is the new gold for thieves

BYLINE: Aldo Nahed, Savannah Morning News, Ga.

BODY:

May 16--Seeing the price of copper steadily increase, Dennis Washington's uncle gave him an

idea to make some extra cash.

So this week, Washington and his buddy, Ryan Zickafoose, both 22, spent one morning going

to area construction sites to ask for any leftover copper wire.

For three hours, they used razor blades to strip rubber insulation around the wire they were

given and filled a bucket with 11 pounds of copper. In the afternoon, the college students

collected about $36 at Savannah Recycling in the 4400 block of Tremont Road.

"It's a little bit of work," said Zickafoose, a Savannah Technical College student. "But it's

worth it."

The price of copper -- about $3 a pound locally -- also has created new potential for crimes of 

opportunity among thieves, said Judy Pal, a Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman.

She said crime prevention officers have been meeting with construction companies to make

sure the owners have lockable windows and doors installed before they install copper piping

for heating and air-conditioning units.

Homeowners are advised to cage their outdoor air-conditioning units.

Sam Sanders, who runs a business hooking up telephones and computers, said he no longer

leaves copper at job sites overnight.

"If I went to a job site, I used to pull the older wires and throw it away," Sanders said. "I've

thrown millions of dollars away over the years."

Sanders, who now collects the copper in his backyard and later sells it to scrap yards, said

copper is being called "the new gold" on the streets.

Some are so desperate for the metal, they risk their lives for a piece of it.

Jerry Hayes was one of them.

On Monday, Hayes, 40, was found dead near the Amtrak Station in the 2600 block of Seaport

Coastline Drive.

Metro police said it appears Hayes, who was homeless, climbed a light pole and was either

electrocuted or fell from the pole to his death.

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In his back pocket, Hayes had wire cutters. Next to his body were an orange bicycle and a

plastic bag filled with cans.

Police recorded more than 100 cases of copper theft last year, and this type of theft continues

to be a challenge. The thieves usually are drug addicts trying to support their habit, police

said.

The stolen copper is difficult to trace, said Michael Jarrell, owner of Savannah Recycling. With

about 250 customers a day, vehicles stream constantly through his dirt lot filled with a forestof twisted metal.

Jarrell remembers Hayes coming to his business to sell copper over the years.

"He wasn't a bad person," Jarrell said. "He was intelligent and knew the street life."

ID required

Jarrell said he requires identification from all sellers, following a state law that requires him to

do so. He said he has cooperated with police in numerous investigations and has helped

several people recover their stolen copper over the years.

He collects copper in 4,000 pound boxes inside a large warehouse. The copper is then sold to

a mill, which exports the copper to be made into new products.

Builders and homeowners potentially can end up buying copper that was stolen from them.

This week, Gail DeJohn was assessing more than $5,000 in damage to her recently purchased

home in the Silk Hope neighborhood.

Intruders broke in, stole visible copper on her water heater as well as air-conditioning copper,

and they knocked several holes in the house, stripping away all the copper they could find.

"I've had a fence put up in the back," DeJohn said. "We put wood over the backside window,

and I had to get an intimidating dog."

To see more of the Savannah Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to

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LOAD-DATE: May 17, 2008

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