The lights went out on some streets in Sandy Springs as two men allegedly stole miles of copper wiring from about 50 light poles in the city.
The thefts stopped when an officer patrolling Ga. 400 discovered 48-year-old Antonio O. Beasley and another man stealing wiring from underneath the Glenridge Connector overpass, police said.
"They stripped the copper wire and were in the process of getting it loaded up into the car" when the officer pulled up, Capt. Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department told Channel 2 Action News. "This copper, as well as other [copper] that was recovered later, had been taken from area street lights."
Police said the pair stole three to four miles of wiring from Ga. 400 and other roads, costing Sandy Springs nearly $30,000.
Beasley was arrested and charged with felony theft by taking, possession of tools to commit a crime, interfering with public utilities, first-degree criminal damage to property and driving without a license, according to Fulton County Jail records.
The suspect was booked into jail on Aug. 15 and released on bond the next day. He declined to comment Monday when contacted by Channel 2 at his northwest Atlanta home.
Beasley's alleged accomplice, a man police know only as "Chattanooga," fled and is being sought. He too will face a felony theft charge when caught, police said.
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