Aug 7, 2015 1 min read

A manager at Allegheny Ludlum told Washington police Thursday that the company discovered that 10,000 feet of copper electrical wire valued at $20,000 had been stolen from spools stored in the rear of the building at 15 Woodland Ave.

The company reportedly received a call from a man who identified himself as “Big Ed,” telling them that a woman he drives to a methadone clinic confessed to selling copper that had been stolen from the company at a Canonsburg scrap yard. The copper reportedly had been stolen by acquaintances of the woman who burned the rubber coating off the wire before having her sell it.

The manager told police that a cart apparently had been used to move the wire. A soft drink machine in the area also was knocked over and pried open, police said, and a bathroom was damaged. Copper pipe was stolen from the bathroom, and the sink was knocked off the wall.