Deputies find chop shop, 36,000 lbs. of copper wire
By Elizabeth Billips lizbillips@yahoo.com

Staff - Mary Kate Holland Deputy Daniel Rodriguez surveys the stolen copper.

An anonymous tip led to two stolen 18-wheelers and 36,000 pounds of copper wiring.

Burke County deputies made the find Tuesday afternoon in a wooded area off Highway 305 at Highway 80.

The Freightliners were two of three stolen from Tenant Trucking in Martinez three months ago and had already been partially disassembled.

"They've probably been using this place to strip vehicles for years," Capt. Frankie Parker said as he surveyed a front-end loader and a 30x50 concrete slab where the trucks had been blowtorched.

One of the trucks was even covered with camouflage netting to keep investigators from spotting it during periodic flyovers.

While officers aren't sure who the offenders are, they'd probably been there in the past week as evidenced by orange peelings, cracker crumbs and a half-empty jar of mayonnaise.

About 30 yards away, a cargo trailer from one of the trucks was loaded down with 36 rolls of copper wire, weighing just under 1,000 lbs. each.

Investigators believe the wire, which was brand new and coiled, was in the truck when it was stolen.

"There was probably a lot more in there," Capt. Parker said. "That's what we're trying to find out."

While the new copper sells for about $6 a pound, officers say the offenders were probably unraveling small portions to sell to scrap metal yards.

Even at scrap prices, the remaining copper would have fetched more than $100,000.