40 copper downspouts stolen from San Luis Obispo shopping center

Forty copper downspouts were reportedly stolen from the Irish Hills Plaza shopping center this past week in San Luis Obispo.

A suspect was caught on security camera footage on July 10 at 11:45 p.m. carrying away copper downspouts ranging in length from three feet to 30 feet long — a process that Lt. Caleb Kemp of the San Luis Obispo Police Department says definitely took some time.

“To actually, physically rip the downspouts out of the wall and then wherever the downspouts snapped off, then they would take the portion that was available to them,” Lt. Kemp said.

Why steal a copper downspout? Copper is one of the most high-value metals used in construction and according to A1 Metals and Auto Salvage in Paso Robles, is harder to come by with prices varying from $2 to $3 per pound depending on the grade of the copper.

“Metals are very volatile," SLO Habitat for Humanity Project Manager Emily Baranek explained. "The costs are not predictable. Overall, they've gone up with everything else.”

Baranek says copper is used throughout their projects as well.

“Habitat projects in particular, we generally see it in electrical wiring, but you can see it throughout the area and downspouts and roofing material installs,“ she said.

With an initial estimate of $10,000 in copper downspouts stolen from the Irish Hills Plaza, copper remains a highly sought-after material. That’s nothing new, according to Baranek, who recalls a time after the 2008 economic crash that saw a surge in copper thefts.

“People were losing significant amounts of money on copper wiring being pulled out of projects in progress,” she said.

According to A1, for customers looking to sell non-ferrous materials, state law requires an ID, thumbprint and a three-day hold before payment with every single transaction going through the sheriff's office. However, theft still happens and in this case, it’s one of a kind.

“Something of this magnitude like this at Irish Hills Plaza I've never seen," Lt. Kemp said.

The San Luis Obispo Police Department is asking anyone with information about the Irish Hills Plaza theft to contact them or Crime Stoppers.