The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's office has arrested on suspect and is searching for several more in an ongoing investigation into copper thefts in the area.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff
Deputies arrested 53-year-old Stacy Warren Carpenter last week on charges of felony theft as well as resisting an officer, after an investigation that began in August.
The sheriff's office says since August 5, there have been 24 thefts of AT&T copper wire in the area of Hwy. 22 and Old Covington Highway.
Investigators got their first lead in the case on September 11 as Hurricane Francine was approaching.
"Detectives conducting extra patrols noticed two men in a wood line off of Highway 22 near Ponchatoula High School loading stolen copper wire into their truck," said Ashley Rodrigue, spokesperson for the sheriff's office. "When deputies attempted to engage with the men, they sped off in the truck toward the Esterbrook Road area and then bailed out of the truck to run from deputies and got away."
After further investigation, Rodrigue says detectives identified Carpenter as a suspect, along with 45-year-old Kevin Allen Stevens of Hammond, as the suspects spotted in September.
Investigators say they also identified 52-year-old Sandie Albin and 61-year-old Huey Edwards, both of Hammond, as suspects in the thefts.
"A search warrant of Stevens’ home, where Albin and Edwards also live, discovered more than a dozen guns, drugs and evidence of bulk copper wire thefts in various stages of breakdown," said Rodrigue. "Eventually, Carpenter was located and taken into custody, but the others remain wanted."
AT&T says each cut of wire stolen is worth about $35,000. The sheriff's office says the thefts have disrupted phone and internet communications and at time has affected residents' ability to contact 911.
Similar thefts are being reported in the northern part of Tangipahoa, said Rodrigue.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Stevens, Albin, and Edwards; or information on other copper thefts in the area, are asked to call Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa at (800) 554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3 Tips icon or Submit A Tip.
Callers to Crimestoppers do not have to leave their names and may be eligible for a cash reward.
