Douglas County police say they arrested three men and are seeking a fourth who tried to steal thousands of dollars worth of copper from a new jail under construction in Douglasville, Channel 2 Action News reported.
A tractor trailer filled with copper was delivered to the construction site Friday.
About 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Douglasville police officer spotted a suspicious vehicle parked on I-20 nearby, and he and another officer discovered a theft in progress, Channel 2 reported. The alleged thieves had cut the copper into long strips to fit inside their truck.
“They’d used a fork lift, busted into one of the sheds out there,” Douglas County police Lt. Bruce Ferguson said.
Rafael Garcia, Francisco Mejia and Jose Soria Franco were arrested and charged with theft, police said. A fourth suspect remains at large.
Police are reviewing surveillance videos of the alleged heist.
Last month, thieves stole copper from the new 911 center behind the new jail, Channel 2 reported.
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