Colorado copper theft

Two brothers from Englewood have been arrested on suspicion of stealing copper wiring worth $96,500 from Regional Transportation District work sites.

Replacing the wire and repairing the damage will cost $250,000.

Steven Anthony Reynolds, 42, and Frankie Reynolds, 40, allegedly stole overhead copper wiring from the RTD FasTracks light-rail system under construction in Jefferson County. Both were being held Tuesday in the Jefferson County jail.

Steven Reynolds' bail was set at $25,000 on suspicion of theft by receiving. Frankie Reynolds' bail was $5,000 on suspicion of felony criminal mischief and felony theft.

The brothers have lengthy arrest records in several metro counties. Court records indicate they have used each other's names and dates of birth as aliases in previous arrests, so online court records are not clear as to which brother committed which offenses.

Several of the previous charges involved burglary, theft, drugs and related offenses.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that in one of the copper thefts, reported Jan. 2, about 7,000 linear feet of two types of wire was stolen from the RTD site at West Sixth Avenue Frontage Road South and Arbutus Drive.

On Jan. 9, about 150 linear feet of copper wiring was cut away from overhead lines that were strung between I-beams near West Sixth Avenue and Interstate 70.

When the cables were cut, tension was released, causing the I-beams to bend, the department said. The combination of damage to the I-beams and recouping of wire is estimated at about $250,000.

Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822

On one hand, glad they were caught. On the other hand, it gives law makers one more tool to use against the legitimate little guy just tryin' to make a living.

That really sucks. I live just a few blocks from there and had to put up with the construction all of last semester getting to school, I guess it will continue now. Hang 'em!

This people give us a bad name.

Judge rules, men must mine enough copper ore, smelt it, make it into wire, fix the damage and hop on one leg while quacking like a duck.

They should fall under the three strikes you're out rule.

At there age they will just keep doing the wrong thing! That's all they know.

Put them away and file under useless.

Quote:

---

The brothers have lengthy arrest records in several metro counties. Court records indicate they have used each other's names and dates of birth as aliases in previous arrests, so online court records are not clear as to which brother committed which offenses.

---

For some reason that sentence made me laugh. I guess there truely is no honor amoung thieves. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by injunjoe

They should fall under the three strikes you're out rule.

At there age they will just keep doing the wrong thing! That's all they know.

Put them away and file under useless.

---

Unfortunately, with already over populated Colorado prisons, the 3 strike rule is at the sentencing judge's discretion, and more often than not, it will only apply to felonies that are all of the same nature, and sometimes turns into the 5 or 6 strike rule.

Colorado news stories are so often negative,crazy,and bizarre. It is a cool place to live believe it or not. I sense copper sales regulations coming very soon. Scrap theft is in the news all over...

Not sure who's ripping us off more tho, the punks that took the copper or RTD. They can't estimate how much it cost to put these train lines in to save their life. Every time you turn around it's another billion bucks and most the time they are empty when they go by.

Yes, very expensive,centralized services..what every bureaucracy and corporation loves,it extends and saves middle management jobs. We pay the bill of course.

Yeah and the company that won the bid on this project will go way over budget and now can even make more. Where was the security guards that should have stopped these clowns? I say hold the contractor responsible! How long would it take to steal several thousand ft. of wire from above?