Macon copper thieves pocket little but leave businesses with steep bills

Sid’s sandwich shop has seen its share of break-ins over the past decade.

Thieves — some caught and prosecuted — have pushed their way inside by shattering glass windows or busting through the front door.

“They’ve come through the ceiling before,” said Bob Berg, owner of the Forsyth Street eatery. “One time, they got my gumball machine, and there was a trail of gumballs and quarters that went up and over the railroad tracks.”

For the third year straight, a thief — or thieves — targeted Sid’s for something more valuable than gumball machine change: copper.

“The first two times, they stole six foot of copper tubing,” Berg said. “But, this time, they just cut through the chain-link and then they went in and they just destroyed the two air conditioner units to get to the copper. … It’s going to cost us right around $18,000 to get these two units replaced.”

Berg said he didn’t realize at first that he had been hit again by copper bandits until an employee mentioned the restaurant was unusually warm. The theft happened sometime between 9 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. on a weeknight in April.

Since then, Berg has heeded the advice of his neighbors and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office by enclosing his air-conditioning units in a metal cage, installing a motion sensor that activates a light and training a surveillance camera on the area.

“I’d much rather [the thief] just come in here and beg me,” Berg said. “I’ll give him $100 just to leave it alone. …  I know he didn’t get $100 for that copper.”

Bibb County Sheriff’s Lt. Neal Moore said the copper thief who hit Sid’s probably made about $75.

The incentive for theft depends on the price of the metal. Earlier this year, copper hit a record high of $5 per pound, according to a recent report by the global financial service firm J.P. Morgan.

“Every so often, we get an uptick in copper theft,” Moore said, adding the crime of opportunity spikes about every four or five years. “When the copper prices go up, it becomes more appealing.”

Moore said the sheriff’s office catches “a good bit” of the thieves, but the crime is hard to investigate.

“These people have done thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damages to businesses,” Moore said.

Sid’s is not the only business that has been repeatedly targeted by copper thieves over the past year. Other businesses that have had to file insurance claims to replace units multiple times include Roses Discount Store on Pio Nono Avenue, Mike Supermarket on Houston Avenue and the indoor flea market on Eisenhower Parkway.

Moore said the owner of Roses flew to Macon to meet with investigators after copper was stolen out of the store’s units twice over the past year.

“He was getting hit on big commercial units,” Moore said of the out-of-town store owner. “He has added his own security company out there now, and we haven’t had a single person even attempt [theft again].”

Businesses where copper theft is recurrent may not be far from the homes of the thieves targeting them, Moore said.

“People go back to what they know,” Moore said. “Sometimes, it’s within walking distance of where they live.”

Companies often have to pay more for monthly insurance after filing claims following copper thefts.

Everyday people are also victimized. Residential homes — especially abandoned ones — are frequently the target of copper thieves, Moore said.

Copper theft is a problem across the state. Moore said Macon is home to several large recycling companies, and the sheriff’s office works closely with them to monitor people who come in often or with a lot of copper.

In recent years, law enforcement agencies across Georgia have worked with the Georgia Sheriff’s Association to get legislation passed to make profiting from copper theft more difficult. Some of the newer laws require that recyclers of copper coils and catalytic converters have certain licenses and certifications plus proof of where the copper came from.

Even so, Moore said the return on stolen copper can be tempting to some recyclers.

“We do have people risking their licenses to help people get rid of stuff,” Moore said, adding that he believes the laws have helped curb copper theft. “There are still people out there doing it, but it is not as rampant as it was in the past.”

As for Sid’s, the business alerted the public to the theft on its tall letterboard sign — which features ever-changing humorous quips — in the same spirit that many Maconites have come to expect when they drive by.

“Someone stole our ACs. No kidding,” the sign read. “Please ‘bare’ with us.”