View Full Version : Who is the brains behind copper theft?



Jersey Boss
06-04-2015, 10:35 AM
Metro councilman accused of ordering inmates to steal copper from tornado sirens | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/news/metro-councilman-accused-of-ordering-inmates-to-steal-copper-from-tornado-sirens/33398502)

jerrywall
06-04-2015, 10:43 AM
Whoa.

Teo9969
06-04-2015, 10:49 AM
I'm going to hope that because they said "metro area" and not "Oklahoma City" that we don't have to worry about it being any of our 8.

Bullbear
06-04-2015, 10:51 AM
hmmm this should be interesting

Jersey Boss
06-04-2015, 11:12 AM
I'm going to hope that because they said "metro area" and not "Oklahoma City" that we don't have to worry about it being any of our 8.

Oklahoma County Sheriff is giving presser so I would assume it is "metro" confined to Oklahoma County.

Pete
06-04-2015, 11:15 AM
It's a dude from Luther.

rezman
06-04-2015, 11:26 AM
It's a dude from Luther.

From Luther? ... No surprise there.

Martin
06-04-2015, 11:29 AM
oh man... that's low. -M

jerrywall
06-04-2015, 11:50 AM
Is Luther really part of the metro. Do we want it?

Jersey Boss
06-04-2015, 11:59 AM
From Luther? ... No surprise there.

Why do you say this? Are you privy to metro crime stats or is it some other info you have? Inquirin' minds want to know.

rezman
06-04-2015, 12:56 PM
Why do you say this? Are you privy to metro crime stats or is it some other info you have? Inquirin' minds want to know.

I'm privy to having lived out that way for 10 years, and saw a lot of the stupid stuff that goes on out there.

So, just sayin' , it wouldn't surprise me.

Achilleslastand
06-04-2015, 01:35 PM
The icing on the cake is that it was only 160 bucks worth of copper lol.

mkjeeves
06-04-2015, 02:14 PM
The icing on the cake is that it was only 160 bucks worth of copper lol.

and his cut was $40, allegedly.


"" Investigators allege that Smith directed three Department of Corrections inmates to gut six sirens being stored behind Luther's town hall in October, then sold the copper and other metals to a recycling center in an adjoining county. Smith made $157.95 from the sale, but after paying each inmate $40, cleared with $37.95, according to a sheriff's office affidavit.

Smith, 66, is jailed on six counts of copper theft, each of which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and $500 fine. He also is facing one count of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, a charge that carries up to two years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said it will cost $31,000 to rewire the sirens in Luther, a town of about 1,400 people just northeast of Oklahoma City, which has been hit by more tornadoes than any other city in the U.S. The sirens warn residents of tornadoes, as well as wildfires.

"These are very important," Whetsel said.

A publicly listed telephone number couldn't be found for Smith on Thursday, and officials at Oklahoma County Jail said he was unable to take calls. No court hearing has been set for Smith, whose term on the council ended in April.

The community decided to install sirens after a 2012 wildfire swept into portions of the town. Officials were in the process of acquiring easements and choosing the most-effective locations for the sirens when they were vandalized, the sheriff said.

The inmates had been brought to Luther to help in a community-wide cleanup day, and Smith was designated to supervise their work, according to investigators. The affidavit said the inmates, including two interviewed last week, have been reprimanded for their role.

Sheriff: Ex-Councilman Arrested After Sirens' Copper Stolen - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-arrest-made-copper-oklahoma-sirens-31529997)

Any possibility he was stupid and uninformed enough to think these were junk? (Not his junk to strip and sell, the city's junk. They were hand-me-downs from Del City.)

rezman
06-04-2015, 02:44 PM
On a side note, I thought it was Paden, Oklahoma that held the distinction of having the most tornados.

RadicalModerate
06-04-2015, 05:55 PM
1) Note to OP: Mastermind would have been a more effective title for the thread than "brains"; 2) I lived in the vicinity of Luther for a good portion of my life: Rezman's observations should not be taken lightly; 3) The Masterminds of Civic Planning (within the borders of "The Metro"/"Oklahoma County"/not counting OKC decided a long, long time ago that it is a Good Idea to always set a Speed Trap on Route 66 (the mother road) in order to increase revenue. So . . . along with rezman, I am not surprised by the Outrage du Jour. or whatever the past present of du jour may be. Hopefully, The Citizens of Luther are primed for a "sea change" and will take this tune to heart . . .

e7qQ6_RV4VQ

Please be advised that I drove Old Highway 61, up in Minnesota, and enjoyed it completely.
Except for the ticks at the flower photo shoot.

$37.50 to strip copper . . . geez, louise . . . what a maroon . . .

Mel
06-04-2015, 06:19 PM
I'm privy to having lived out that way for 10 years, and saw a lot of the stupid stuff that goes on out there.

So, just sayin' , it wouldn't surprise me.

I had a former friend that lived out there and I hear where you're coming from.

RadicalModerate
06-04-2015, 06:34 PM
The Google Ad Banner, at the top of page, is from Tulsa Scrap Metal Buyers. I don't think I'll click the link. Let it remain missing.

RadicalModerate
06-04-2015, 06:36 PM
I had a former friend that lived out there and I hear where you're coming from.

Don't you actually mean, "read from where you are coming" . . ?

Mel
06-05-2015, 06:43 PM
Don't you actually mean, "read from where you are coming" . . ?

:p