Police seek origin of stolen wire

After arresting a man suspected of stealing scrap metal, police are trying to figure out who owns several lengths of cable that appear to be used in high-frequency radio broadcasting.

On the evening of Feb. 25, a witness saw a man load several $100 corral gates at the Aslin Finch feed store at Sprague Avenue and Adams Road, and reported it to an employee who called police, according to a release from Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Reagan.

Then, at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Officer Cole Speer noticed the truck leaving the feed store. and pulled over driver Neal T. Johnson, 41.

Detective Kirk Keyser said, “Mr. Johnson admitted to the theft of the corral gates,” which had been cut up and sold for scrap.

At the time of the arrest, the bed of the light blue 1969 Ford pickup also held stolen cable, including 1,500 feet of copper wire, worth $6,000 new. The wire was recently reported missing from a construction site on East Valleyway, police said.

Plumbing fixtures found in the truck are believed to have been taken from Gold Seal plumbing, Keyser said. Other scrap metal in the truck included wiring that was likely used to anchor a power pole and the wiring, which a police radio expert believes came from a radio facility, he said.

“I’m guessing somebody, somewhere, has a system down,” Keyser said.

The wiring is thick, black and has two medallions attached to it with 1900 0TX0 and 1900 0RX0 stamped on them.

Anyone with information on the metal or the crime is asked to call Keyser at (509) 477-3325. Police also ask that residents report activity at construction sites at night or unauthorized people around high-voltage wires.