DC Suspects Arrested After Multi-State Copper Wire Theft Spree

Copper wire thefts are prompting multi-jurisdictional law enforcement responses in the United States and abroad. In Georgia, Deron Gates was arrested for stealing $300,000 worth of copper wire from a factory, which was later sold for only $40,000, with further suspects sought. In Maryland, Dominique Jeffery Johnson and Myah Michelle Portia Parker from Washington, D.C., have been indicted for a multi-state burglary scheme involving over 20 crime scenes and 17 police departments, linked to $16,000 worth of stolen copper wire from a contracting company in Harford County. Bel Air police credited modern investigative technology and inter-agency collaboration for dismantling the criminal operation. Additionally, in Phuket, Thailand, Pipatson ‘Nok’ Thongwicha was arrested for multiple wire thefts used to fund methamphetamine purchases, with police seeking his accomplices. These cases highlight the ongoing challenges posed by copper wire thefts and the coordinated law enforcement efforts to combat them.