GILBERT, AZ — Gilbert police arrested a man responsible for stealing more than 5,600 pounds of copper wire.
Gilbert police report that on July 17 they arrested 25-year-old JoePaul Felix Martinez at a motel near Guadalupe Road and Arizona Avenue.
Martinez is accused of stealing 5,665 pounds of copper wire from Home Depot stores in Mesa and Gilbert since January. Police say Martinez pawned the wire at scrap yards in Mesa and Tempe. They have reportedly documented 37 incidents where Martinez took the stolen copper to scrap yards.
They say he received over $6,400 for the wire.
Police say surveillance video at the Home Depot stores matched video taken at the scrap yards, including tattoos on the suspect in the videos.
Court records show the loss to Home Depot to be nearly $9,000.
Martinez has been charged with multiple counts of theft and trafficking in stolen property.
