Though incidents have decreased since the laws became stricter, three people were arrested recently and charged with stealing metal from two electrical-supply sites. The crimes were part of spree that included at least two other break-ins at Aurora residences. The crimes started in early September and ended with the arrests of Thomas Gregory Long, 35, of Duck Pond Road, New Bern, April Auberg, 43, of Wildlife Road, New Bern, and Kenneth John Hayes, 42, of N.C. Highway 306 South, Aurora.

Copper was reported stolen from Tideland EMC’s Edward substation on Sept. 15. On Sept. 23, more was reported stolen from a Duke Energy property on N.C. Highway 33 East in Aurora. At both electrical sites, the fence was cut and the suspects removed copper grounding wires and brass clamps, according to a press release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

“Some of the items stolen were part of an expansion and upgrade to the site and during the construction the ground cables were cut off,” said Maj. Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Watson said the theft caused delays in service, as well as over $10,000 in repair costs.

Over the last several years, state law has changed, ramping up charges to deter those who would steal metal from committing the crime. Tougher restrictions on selling scrap metal, as well as how metal is transported means local law enforcement has seen less incidents since the state’s 2012 ranking as having the fifth-largest number of metals-theft insurance claims made in U.S.

“The laws have changed — several changed — in the last few years and the purpose of that was to reduce offenders getting away with those acts. And we believe that has made it more difficult for thieves to sell their ill-gotten goods,” Watson said.

But the high price of copper and other metals means some criminals are still willing to take the risk, regardless of the classification of the crime. A class two misdemeanor for trespassing becomes a higher class of misdemeanor when a person trespasses on property containing an electrical supply center. Add to that, a trespasser willfully exposing themselves to the risk of death or serious injury at one of those sites and the crime becomes a felony.

This was the case in the recent metals theft crimes, Watson said.

“To complete the theft, they had to enter a restricted area which exposed them to the risk of death or serious injury because of the electrical currents,” Watson said. “It would indicate they have some knowledge of what they could touch and what they shouldn’t.”

Long was charged with three counts of felony injuring utility wires/fixtures, three counts of felony-first degree trespassing of an infrastructure, two counts of felony larceny, three counts of obtaining property by false pretense, two counts of unlawful transport/possess copper and misdemeanor larceny. Auberg was charged with three counts of felony injuring utility wires/fixtures, three counts of felony first-degree trespassing of an infrastructure, two counts of felony larceny, three counts of obtaining property by false pretense, two counts of unlawful transport/possess copper and misdemeanor larceny. The two were then each charged with an additional felony breaking and entering, two counts of larceny after breaking and entering, and one count of injury to personal property after Investigator Jeremy Landeck learned of an additional breaking and entering on Sparrow Road in Aurora. Hayes was charged with felony injuring utility wires/fixtures, three counts of felony first-degree trespassing of an infrastructure, two counts of felony larceny, three counts of obtaining property by false pretense, felony breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, two counts of unlawful transport/possess copper and misdemeanor larceny.

Auberg and Long were arrested for a similar crime in 2011 — both were charged with stealing copper from the Voice of America site in Beaufort County.