San Francisco police this week announced the arrest of suspected copper wire thief Michael David O’Keefe, 55, who was nabbed Saturday after police found him allegedly fleeing from a manhole leading to an underground power vault.
O’Keefe violently resisted arresting officers in the 1600 block of Folsom Street, according to police.
Five high-voltage copper wires were found next to the removed manhole cover, which police said O’Keefe abandoned during the struggle. Each wire was between six and seven feet long.
According to a San Francisco Police Department news release:
“High-voltage wire thieves risk electrocution for scrap metal dealer prices that cap at about $3 dollars a pound.”
Police suspected a second alleged thief in the incident who was able to evade arrest. He was described as a white man, five feet and seven inches, with “scruffy hair” and wearing a black leather jacket. Police later detained a man matching the description.
O’Keeffe was charged with theft, possession of burglary tools and resisting arrest.
Last modified January 12, 2013 8:42 am
This website uses cookies.