OCEAN TOWNSHIP — Police have charged three individuals with attempting to steal $1,000 worth of copper wire from the outside of a township residence last week.
Stephen M. Robertson, 21, Liam F. Donohue, 18, and Jayme R. Bailey, 19, all of Oakhurst, were charged with theft, defiant trespassing and conspiracy to commit theft after a concerned resident saw the trio removing copper wire from a neighbor’s house.
On Sept. 13 at approximately 11:42 a.m., police were called to the rear of a Roosevelt Avenue residence in reference to a group of individuals removing bundles of wire from a home, according to police reports.
Ocean Township Police Officer Matt Jackiewicz arrived on the scene and found Robertson, Donohue and Bailey removing the bundles of wire from the trunk of their car and placing it back where they had taken it from, authorities said.
Jackiewicz arrested the three at the scene. The accused had taken a total of five bundles of insulated copper wire valued at $1,000, authorities said.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had intended to sell or scrap the copper wire after removing it.
The three were transported to the Ocean Township Police Department for further processing and later released on criminal summonses. The car they were using was also subsequently seized under the state criminal forfeiture guidelines.