ST. LOUIS – Two men from outside the St. Louis area were arrested earlier this week for stealing copper wire inside a neighborhood affected by the May 16 tornado.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the theft happened on Monday, May 26, in the 5200 block of Enright Avenue, located in the Academy/Sherman Park neighborhood.
Police said they received word of two men in a dark sedan looking for wire to steal.
When officers responded to the area, they found Nicholas Courtney, 33, of St. Clair, Missouri, and Benjamin Harrison, 34, of Carlyle, Illinois, standing next to the sedan. Harrison allegedly told police Spectrum employees gave them permission to take utility wiring and components, which they’d placed in the trunk of the vehicle.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged both Courtney and Harrison with one count of stealing – $750 or more. Both men were jailed without bond. The two men made their first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.