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Jul 12, 2006 9:10 pm US/Central
AT&T Offers Reward To Catch Copper Thieves
by Clif Caldwell
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
AT&T is offering a reward to help catch copper thieves who are pulling down phone lines and interrupting service. The reward poster lists about a dozen north Texas locations where the crimes have happened.
Rachel Corona spent part of Tuesday knocking on sick and shut-in tenant's doors. The 66 units of her apartment complex had no phone service. Service has not been resorted since thieves cut out what was listed on a police report as $15,000 of wire.
"When we showed up to work there no phone service, couldn't get onto the internet, nothing. Everything was down," Corona said.
It's back to business as usual along Kiest Blvd., in Dallas. Telephone repair people were busy discussing mundane maintenance.
Businessman Jimmy Feng is furious over the inconvenience. "To steal the copper, climb up that high, is ridiculous."
In all AT&T is listing about a dozen locations that a $3,000 reward can be applied to. Last month about 120 feet of cable was cut out from along West Davis, near Cockrell Hill.
In that instance, the interruption was barely noticed. "The phone company called us up and said that they were repairing our line, and I never even knew it was down," said car dealer, Sam Fisher.
Stealing copper from phone lines is just the latest line of metal theft in north Texas. Officials with AT&T hope offering a reward will be what's needed to 'disconnect' the crooks from at least one source of copper.
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