BELFAST, Maine (NEWS CENTER) --- Law enforcement agencies in Eastern Maine say it's been another tough year for metal thefts as thieves have been targeting vacant homes, camps and empty houses for sale. Authorities say they are looking for precious metals like copper and aluminum, which can fetch a lot of money when sold at scrap yards.
The Waldo County Sheriff's Office is one agency that gets a number of these cases. Investigators say so far this year there have been 13 burglary cases in the county relating to copper thefts alone. Thieves targeted several camps in Jackson. The state police are also investigating metal thefts in places like Montville and Swanville.
Officials say in many cases, culprits have caused damage to these homes that far outweigh the value of the metals they're looking for.
"They're not careful when they go into a house and rip it out {copperpiping}...they're in a hurry...they want to get in...get out...so they just cut it off," said Jeffrey Trafton, who is the chief deputy for the Waldo County Sheriffs Office, "They rip it out and sometimes they damage walls when they're doing it...so it's usually very expensive to fix the damages."
Investigators say in many cases, stolen metals wind up at salvage yards across the state. New law in Maine will soon require the owners of those yards to check IDs and keep records of all metal transactions.
Police say the best way to protect your property is to install an alarm or have someone keep an eye on it.
NEWS CENTER