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Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
Area Air Conditioner Thefts Result In Arrest Of "Copper Bandit"
Walker County Sheriff’s Office Investigators
have arrested a Jasper man in connection with a series of air conditioner thefts
that occurred during the past few days. Air conditioning units were reported
stolen from four different locations in Walker County.
Phillip Allen Addison, 28, of 1065 Old Pineywoods Road was arrested Thursday
afternoon on five counts of second-degree theft of property and four counts of
first-degree criminal mischief in connection with the theft and vandalism of
several air conditioning units from two local businesses, two churches, and a
school according to Walker County Sheriff John Mark Tirey.
Tirey said units were either damaged or destroyed when someone removed a side
panel off the units and cut the coils to get to the copper inside. These acts of
theft and vandalism took place at Mt. Zion Baptist in Jasper, New Hope Primitive
Baptist in Pineywoods, Valley School in Boldo, Kathy’s Convenience Store on
Alabama 195 in Manchester and Barbara Ann’s Two on Curry Highway in Jasper.
Tirey went on to say that Valley School has been hit three or four times and has
suffered several thousands of dollars in damage and that “Every time they put up
an new unit, someone comes along and pulls the sides off it to steal the
copper.”
Tirey also says that, with the increasing value of metals such as copper, law
enforcement agencies across Walker County as well as the state of Alabama and
the United States have been busy finding copper thieves for the past year and a
half and that “Sgts. Mote and Williams are continuing their investigation into
these and other cases in an effort to locate any others who may have been
involved.”
Walker County officials say that Addison
hasn’t been linked to any other thefts and vandalism cases that have occurred in
Walker County over the past few weeks.
Addison is currently being held in the Walker County Jail on bonds totaling
$270,000.
