COLUMBIA -- A bill taken up Wednesday by a House Judiciary subcommittee looks to lockdown on those committing copper theft, a problem that has swept across South Carolina.
The Grand Strand and Pee Dee are not immune to the growing problem. Last summer, the Darlington County Sheriff's Office had seven cases of copper theft in a four-week period and arrested at least five suspects. A month later, WPDE NewsChannel 15 was the victim of copper theft as well. The case remains unsolved.
"This is a very dangerous way to try and make a few bucks. This is also costing a great deal of money to fix what the thieves are damaging," said Darlington Sheriff Wayne Byrd at the time of the thefts.
The South Carolina Sheriff's Association says copper theft is the number-one crime in some rural counties, and thieves are getting bolder in destroying people's property for a few dollars worth of copper.
Copper theft is dangerous to the thief. Last fall, a man was electrocuted in North Carolina trying to cut wires from a substation.
The new bill, backed by House Minority Leader Rep. Harry Ott (D-Calhoun) would not allow buyers, like metal recycling centers, to use cash when purchasing copper. The bill would require buyers to pay with checks for scrap metal someone brought in. Ott says it's important to get the "cash element" out of the process. Local law enforcement could then trace checks to see if people are repeatedly coming in and selling copper.
The bill would also require a person to obtain a permit in order to sell copper, or other nonferrous metals. Nonferrous is used to indicate metals other than iron and alloys that do not contain an appreciable amount of iron.
Do you think more should be done to stop copper theft in the area? Or does this bill put too much responsibility on scrap metal recyclers? Leave your comments below. They could be included on NewsChannel 15 at 11.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
