Fayetteville police have arrested two men and charged them with stealing air conditioning units and parts.
Vernon Nelson, 48, of Atlanta, and Ronald Hood, 30, of East Point, were arrested Friday evening after police who were conducting surveillance saw a car drop off Hood in the area of Braxton Court and Magnolia Business Center. Police said they saw Hood go in the rear of a business. When officers approached him he ran and hid. Officers found and arrested Hood and then arrested Nelson when he returned to pick up Hood.
Police said both men admitted to numerous air conditioning thefts. Both are being charged with four counts of theft by taking. More charges may be pending after further investigation, according to police.
Thieves vandalize air conditioners to steal the copper tubing inside and cash in on near-record prices for the base metal. Salvage yards paid about $1.25 per pound for copper two years ago, but the price has since nearly tripled. Since then, thieves have kept police busy.
Metro Atlanta thieves have targeted churches, vacant and foreclosed homes, businesses and schools to steal the copper, which is resold at a fraction of the cost it takes to replace the air conditioners.
In June, DeKalb County police broke up an air conditioner theft ring that police say hit homes and shopping centers at night, grabbing the cooling units and using a stolen U-Haul truck to take them to a vacant house where the units would be disassembled for their parts.
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