Copper thieves pull off huge heist along I-15


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SALT LAKE CITY — Investigators are trying to get to the bottom of what has become the largest copper wire theft in Utah Department of Transportation's history.

UDOT noticed the missing wire last week. Eleven junction boxes along a mile-long stretch between 1000 North and 1800 North on I-15 were ripped from the poles. Between 30,000 and 35,000 feet of copper wire, worth approximately $50,000 was stolen.

A UDOT spokesman says the heist would have taken hours, if not days, yet the thieves somehow managed to take the copper without being noticed.

One theory is that they dressed the part to get the job done.


What we suspect is that the thieves were maybe dressed as utility workers, construction workers, so it looks like maybe they blended in.

–UDOT Spokesman


"What we suspect is that the thieves were maybe dressed as utility workers, construction workers, so it looks like maybe they blended in," the spokesman said.

UDOT also says the people responsible would have had to have some sort of knowledge of how these wires work, otherwise they would likely have been electrocuted.

Richard Hibbard, a UDOT lighting engineer, said, "We are extremely frustrated. If you want to meet a frustrated group of people, you should talk to my crew. They spent many hours working very hard getting this wire back in."

UDOT has become a common target for thieves. In 2012, the department spent more than $400,000 to replace stolen metal. The department is now using valuable aluminum wire instead of copper. It is also placing the junction boxes in random spots, making it a bit harder for thieves to target.

UDOT is pleading with the public to watch out and take notice if they see something that seems amiss.

"If there's work that's going on after dark, if someone comes across a construction crew, they can call into UDOT and we'll tell them if there's road work going on," the spokesman said.

Haley Smith contributed to this report

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