Police shut off circuit breaker swiping scheme in Riverside County

Circuit breakers appear to have joined the list of potential targets for thieves across the state who prey on metals and infrastructure.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies started investigating an increase in circuit breaker thefts in February, the department said in a release Wednesday. Deputies arrested 65-year-old Eugene Popa of Perris last week and seized thousands of allegedly stolen circuit breakers stacked in large storage bins across two locations.

Deputies allege that Popa purchased stolen circuit breakers from thieves who took them from new home construction sites or retail stores. He then sought to resell them online, deputies allege.

In recent years, thieves have taken a growing amount of copper, bronze and other metals from streets, buildings and construction sites, most likely hoping to sell the goods for scrap. The thefts have left some streets and bridges, such as the rebuilt 6th Street Viaduct , in the dark.

A Carson cemetery had more than 100 plaques stolen. Fire hydrants, with their brass innards, became such such popular targets that utility companies changed their design so thieves could not access their bolts as easily. Nearly a dozen century-old light poles in Pasadena have been ripped from the ground.

Now, circuit breakers appear to be drawing thieves' attention. The idea of buying a breaker that isn't new in its packaging, though, troubles Ronnie Gor , a licensed contractor and developer.

Secondhand circuit breakers like the ones Popa is accused of selling online can be dangerous. If repairing a circuit breaker in your home, you should stick to a new breaker and call a licensed electrician, Gor said.

"If something goes wrong, your life could be in danger," she said.

As a protection against theft during construction, circuit breakers typically go into homes that are almost finished and have locks or other forms of security already in place, Gor said. She's had tools and other equipment stolen from job sites, she said, but never circuit breakers.

Individual circuit breakers can cost anywhere from $7 to more than $60, depending on amperage and model.

Paul Dashevsky of GreatBuildz , a site that helps connect consumers with contractors, said circuit breakers were stolen out of a home he was renovating for sale about 10 years ago, but none since then. "One day you have your electrical panel," he said, "and the next day you have no switches."

The cost to replace them was about $400, he said. "Certainly it's frustrating," he said, but the loss didn't break the bank.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .