5 charged for alleged roles in string of copper thefts in St. Paul
UPDATE (Sept. 16, 2024): Nay Thar was sentenced to three years probation on Sept. 10, 2024, for aiding and abetting first-degree property damage.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police say they've pulled the plug on an organized copper theft ring.
At least five suspects now face charges for stealing wiring from streetlights in St. Paul.
Investigators say a confidential informant led them to the group's ringleader.
Police say 40-year-old Kyaw Klay rounded up a crew to steal the copper and would then sell it to recycling plants with the help of 21-year-old Paw Hkee La.
Klay had become so familiar to employees at the Dem-Con recycling facility in Blaine that they no longer asked for his identification, according to charging documents.
Between Nov. 10, 2023, and Jan. 15, 2024, the complaint alleges Klay received more than $12,000 from selling the stolen copper.
Three others were charged and arrested in connection to the ring: Nay Thar, 36; Aye May, 44; and Eh Tha Blay, 25.
As of Tuesday, Klay is not in custody. La was arrested on Tuesday.
Similar thefts cost St. Paul taxpayers more than a million dollars in repairs last year.
Neighbors told WCCO those crimes likely caused a deadly St. Paul crash on Christmas Eve. A driver hit and killed a man and his dog while they were crossing the street. The streetlight wasn't working because of stolen wire.
Metal is also missing from Shadow Falls Park in St. Paul as a result of copper thieves.
State lawmakers are hoping to fight the crime by making it harder for thieves to sell what they steal.
