Sheriff's Office: Man Stole $58,000 in Copper From Jacksonville Cell Towers; 45-Year-Old Arrested
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office property-crimes detectives say a man caught on camera breaking into electrical sites and cell towers across the city stole ground wires worth $58,000. Jack Depetris, 45, was arrested on burglary, grand theft and stolen-property charges, the Sheriff's Office said.
A man the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office calls a repeat copper thief has been arrested after detectives say he stole nearly $60,000 worth of copper from cell towers across Jacksonville, in a Sheriff's Office account reported by West Orlando News and opened by the desk this run.
The investigation began when a suspect was caught on camera breaking into electrical sites and cell towers across the city, the Sheriff's Office said. According to the account, the suspect stole valuable ground wires used to power the equipment during an outage, and in total took $58,000 worth of copper, JSO stated.
Detectives identified the man in the photos as 45-year-old Jack Depetris, the Sheriff's Office said. Depetris was arrested for multiple charges of burglary, grand theft with property damage over $1,000, and dealing in stolen property, according to the account. The desk reports the charges as the Sheriff's Office states them; no court outcome is claimed.
"These copper wire thefts could have created a danger to our community, causing widespread service outages," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office posted, in the statement carried in the account. "As a reminder, entering or tampering with critical infrastructure sites is illegal. If you see someone doing it, report it by calling 904.630.0500." The number in the Sheriff's Office statement is the office's own non-emergency reporting line as quoted.
