Las Vegas Police Identify Suspect in Opportunity Village Copper Wire Theft

LAS VEGAS – Copper wire thieves hit a local group serving intellectually disabled people this summer.

Copper wire thieves targeted Opportunity Village’s Thrift Store in June, July, and twice in August, executives say.

Now, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has named a suspect. Lawrence Butcher is the suspect, officials said. Security caught Butcher, police claim.

Opportunity Village security installed motion sensor cameras on the roof in August due to earlier copper wire thefts when a suspect approached an air conditioning unit. The crew said security maced and held the man until the police came.

“He said he was there on a work order and his employer dropped him off without a ladder. That was suspicious. He may have exploited utility boxes to access the roof, said LVMPD Captain Joshua Martinez.

Since January, Butcher has sold 18 times. They say he’s not linked with a metal-scrapping business.

Police will investigate if Butcher stole copper wiring from other thrift stores.

Credits: Fox5Vegas