Arrest made in $300,000 copper theft

Pike County Sheriff’s Office investigators recently made an arrest after a late night theft was reported at Yancey Engineered Solutions on Ethridge Mill Road. Employees discovered a large amount of copper wire had been taken while the business was closed. Video footage from the business showed a rental truck on the property while an individual used lift equipment to load spools of wire onto the truck. The items taken by the thieves were reported to be in excess of $300,000.

After identifying the vehicle, investigators were able to track the movements of the vehicle to a general area within Clayton County. On the afternoon of July 24, investigators located the rental truck traveling on Tara Road, and with assistance from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. Three individuals were detained to determine their involvement in the theft and transported to Pike County.

Evidence located through the investigation showed that the stolen copper had been sold to a recycling business for the sum of $40,000.

Deron Gates, 36, of Jonesboro was charged with Felony Theft by taking and is currently in the Pike County Jail. The other two individuals were determined not to have been involved with the initial theft and were released. Investigators are also obtaining arrest warrants for another suspect. The suspect’s name will be released at a later date.