Two Men Arrested For Copper Wire Thefts From Highway Light Poles In Baltimore County
PIKESVILLE, MD. (WJZ) — Maryland State Police arrested two men early Wednesday in connection with the theft of copper wire from light poles along highways in Baltimore County, six months after they were arrested for similar charges in Prince George's County.
Joseph Wetzel, 45, and Mark Brunelle, 53, both from Brooklyn, Maryland are each charged with four counts of felony theft, five counts of malicious destruction of property and one count of felony theft scheme $25,000 to $100,000.
Wetzel is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center pending a bail review while Brunelle was released on a criminal summons.
The arrests come after a months-long investigation into copper wire thefts from light poles around I-695.
Troopers arrested the suspects around 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday after copper wire had allegedly been stolen from a light pole on I-695 and Falls Road. They were arrested at the scene.
They are connected to at least three other similar thefts along I-695 since April, police said. They estimate the four total thefts caused $66,000 in damage.
Wetzel and Brunelle were charged in December 2019 with theft $1,500 to $25,000, theft scheme $1,500 to $25,000 and malicious destruction of property of more than $1,000 for similar copper wire thefts from light poles and jersey walls in Prince George's County.
They said the total cost to replace the copper was around $400,000.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Golden Ring Barrack at 410-780-2700.