UPDATE: Copper Theft Strikes Pompei Park

Copper thefts occurred at early Tuesday, taking an unknown amount of wiring from some electrical boxes leaving the parking lots in the dark.

The thefts were discovered around 6:30 a.m. near the southern parking lots by a maintenance worker, according to Glendora Police. Some time between midnight and 5 a.m. the copper wire serving power to the park's lots taken from at least two ground electrical boxes. The thefts affected power to all the parking lots.

Officers later discovered that copper wire from all of the parking lot lighting was removed through a small metal opening at the bottom of each pole. In all, about 200 pounds of copper wire was taken, amounting to a total loss of $7,000, police said.

"Basically it's the power to the lights. What they're doing is stripping the wires down and just taking the copper and trying to sell it for whatever they can get for it," said Lt. Jamie Caldwell of Glendora Police.

The copper was originally discovered stolen from two small, plastic electrical boxes, the type that are typically set in the ground and are easily accessible by removing a nut. Thefts of this nature are very easy to pull off, Caldwell said.

Police have investigated several other metal thefts the past week, many occur with irrigation and other water fixtures.

"We had several thefts recently of water mains. We've had four or five over the last week. Basically what these guys are doing is going around and anything that's made of copper or brass, they're stealing it. They don't care what it is," Caldwell said.

Thieves typically take the stolen metal and sell it. As of Jan. 17, the price per pound of copper has steadily risen. The price rose by almost 50 cents since Dec. 19 to $3.72, according to Kitco.com.

Has your home or business been affected by metal thieves? Tell us in the comments.