Posted on 02/07/2020 8:05:28 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
CHEROKEE, Iowa -- A Marcus, Iowa, man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for stealing copper from wind turbine sites around Marcus and burglarizing several businesses.
Andrew Bock, 35, pleaded guilty in Cherokee County District Court to first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree burglary and third-offense possession of a controlled substance.
Bock was charged with stealing copper and materials valued at $7,390 from nine wind turbine sites on Oct. 12 or Oct. 13. He was accused of causing $11,080 in damage to the wind turbine sites.
(Excerpt) Read more at siouxcityjournal.com ...
Gaia was severely aggrieved at the damage to the windmills and wanted him prosecuted to the fullest extent. She got her wish.
Who’s BUYING all the copper from these guys?? Could they be part of the problem??
Sheriffs in San Bernardino County and riverside County CA busted a lot of it at swap meets even otiose selling out of vans and trucks. That was 10 years ago.
Your secret is safe with us here!
Everybody’s wearing a mask.
retired. But seriously saw a lot of stripped heat pumps when I was in Rancho Cucamonga showing houses. On some streets 4-5 houses in a row on one day. Many 2-story houses with 5-bedrooms had two units.
Copper jacketed hollow points need all the CU they can get.
You must be the same guy stealing catalytic converters from charities in our area!
The coppers copped a copper thief. Say that three times.
Coppers don’t bother with bicycle theft, let alone copper theft!
I was taking the front off of a 480 box and found that someone before me had lost one of screws and substituted a much longer one. It had wedged the four gauge wire against the side of the box. Running the screw across the wire putting it in did not wear thro the insulation. Taking it out did. It was like a cherry bomb went off inside!
The worst scare I got was having a 1.5” flexible conduit against my chest while I fed wire thro it. I forgot that my phone was in my shirt pocket and it went off in vibrate mode. I nearly pissed myself!
I guarantee all of you that it is MUCH more difficult to steal propane from my tank.....
How many people would be in serious jeopardy if their local wind turbines were the ONLY source for their power???
These kinds of charges should include attempted murder ....people on a breathing machine could die.
Second story is funny.
First story is so true — people do crap work. Something as seemingly innocuous as a longer screw. I am always paranoid when closing up a box. Is everything dressed properly? No loose screws? Nothing sticking out anywhere? Nothing pinched? Screws right length? All screws in place? Then I’ll do a double-check.
Previous homeowners are the worst. I’ll never forget the wiring to a porch floodlight in my first home. In the attic, Romex went into half inch metallic conduit. In the exterior box for the floodlight, lamp cord entered. The jerk had run out of Romex and spliced on the zip cord with electrical tape right inside the conduit!
The zip cord one made me cringe.
The worst thing I think I ever saw was when I helped a friend put down new carpet on a concrete floor. The prior owner had wanted another wall outlet on the other side of the room and had used flat 300 Ohm antenna twin lead under the carpet presumably to prevent having a bulge. He had two young daughters sharing the bedroom. Thank God nobody ever put much of a load on it.
Really unbelievable about the twinax carrying 120 V.
I stayed at a mom & pop motel in Longview, WA in the summer of 1974. The owner shampooed the carpet one day. That evening I was standing barefoot on the still-wet carpet and went to turn on the wall air conditioner when WHAM - I was flat on my back several feet away. Dead short hand-arm-heart-feet.
Got my volt-ohmmeter out and sure enough — 220 VAC air conditioner case to the carpet. Complained to the manager and he brought in an electrician that morning who checked it out and pronounced “Nothing wrong here” with the motel manager standing there with us. I said “BS,” grabbed his VOM, shoved one lead into the still-wet carpet and the other on the AC case - 220 VAC. That was one sheepish electrician.
I tried to sue but got nowhere in that small town. Good thing it wasn’t a little kid or an elderly person who took that zap.
Years ago, I read of an accident in a smokeless gunpowder factory where all that was left was that outline. No one would work at that station because they had to stand where that unfortunate guy stood. The company finally shifted the station two feet (no pun intended) to the right.
The plastic itself is worth nothing. The price just reflects the manufacturing and packaging cost. But what about real pennies? It must cost more than 1¢ to make a zinc penny and copper coat it. Personally I think we should phase out the penny and nickel. Just round everything to the nearest dime. Maybe even quarter. You can’t buy anything for less than that anyway.
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