Suspected copper thief leads police on chase in stolen car

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a crime spree by a copper thief is over after he was tracked down in a stolen KIA.

The chase ended on Memorial Drive just west of Dairy Ashford at 3am. We caught part of the short chase on our Houston Transtar JamCams as it went from the Beltway to the Katy Freeway and onto Memorial.

The driver suddenly stopped and was arrested while trying to make a run for it. Somehow, he hurt his head and had to get bandaged up before being hauled off downtown.

Police say he's been up to no good for days.

"They saw a suspicious Hispanic male driving an SUV, stealing silver caps off the water sprinklers -- brass caps -- I guess to to pawn," said officer Dennis Gonzales with the Houston Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was returned to the owners who had the vehicle stolen at an Exxon along the West Beltway.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Copper stolen from new stadium for Sugar Land Skeeters

The stadium is still under construction. Opening day for the Sugar Land Skeeters is set for April 26th.

SUGAR LAND, TX (KTRK) -- Police are looking for the thieves who stole several reels of copper which was to be installed at the new stadium being built for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Workers discovered the copper missing from a storage room at Constellation Field on Friday, December 30. The reels of copper are worth approximately $25,000.

A source with knowledge of the incident says the thieves must have used heavy equipment to remove the reels from the site and haul them away.

The stadium is still under construction. Opening day for the Sugar Land Skeeters is set for April 26.

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Copper theft shuts down restaurant

  By Demond FernandezHOUSTON (KTRK) -- The search continues for copper thieves, targeting several businesses in Montgomery County. We're hearing from a restaurant owner who has lost business because of the thieves.

Outside Big Daddy O's restaurant, there's a sign reading "Due to vandalism we're closed." Copper thieves, the owner says, are to blame. This crew at Big Daddy O's restaurant in Pinehurst is cleaning up the huge mess left after thieves ripped off some copper wire. "They broke the pipe about four foot up, cut it, and if you notice, you can see where they've attached a vehicle and drug it out," Misty Franklin said. The seafood restaurant owners, Misty and Josh Franklin, say mysterious crooks cut nearly 1,800 feet of copper between a utility pole and the business' meter, wiping out all power since Saturday night. "It's very frustrating. We've only been open a year. We're just now getting a clientele set. And now we can't even open the doors," Misty Franklin said. The copper thieves not only cut electricity here, but they also ruined thousands of dollars worth of fresh seafood. "We have to get rid of everything in the cooler. I mean it's just devastating. I mean there's $5,000 worth of stuff in the cooler that has to be thrown in the trash," Josh Franklin said. Big Daddy O's is one of at least five places copper thieves hit in Montgomery County over the weekend. "It's hard to set a pattern or develop a pattern on what their next target is," Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Lt. David Park said. Deputies say they don't have many leads but say a majority of the copper thefts are happening at night and on areas that allow the suspects to easily hide. "Obviously we need the public to be our eyes and ears for us. We need their help," Park said. It will take a few more days before Big Daddy O's can reopen, and the owners have a strong message for the copper crooks. "Payback. Payback will get you," Misty Franklin said. Deputies say they are beefing up patrols around businesses throughout the county, especially at night. CenterPoint Energy is also looking into these copper thefts. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Copper ripped out of new Houston home

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Copper wiring was ripped out of a newly constructed Houston home early Saturday.

Thieves apparently broke into the home on Colonial at Rosemont on the south side, then tore all the copper wiring out of the house.

In addition to the monetary loss with the copper, the incident also caused extensive damage to the new home

According to the developer, the house next door was burglarized a few months ago when thieves broke in and stole all the furniture from that newly built home.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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