A man was arrested Sunday after allegedly breaking into a business in Canyon Country and attempting to steal the copper piping inside, according to law enforcement officials.
The arrest stems from a report at approximately 3 a.m. of a “noise disturbance” on the 27000 block of Camp Plenty Road.
“Upon arrival, they observed a 29-year-old Hispanic male who had broken into a laundry room and was hiding,” said Deputy Robert Jensen, a spokesman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
According to Jensen, the man was attempting to cut the copper piping out of the laundry room’s fixtures.
According to a report published by the FBI, copper thefts have, for more than a decade now, threatened critical infrastructure and disrupted everything from electricity to telecommunications to water supply and heating.
The metal is often sold by copper thieves to recyclers who “often fill orders for commercial scrap dealers,” reads the FBI report.
The arrested man, identified as a 29-year-old Canyon Country man, was booked on suspicion of felonious burglary. He was held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
