By Larry Coonrod, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 12:00 am
Metal thefts damaged two Consumer's Power electrical substations on April 21 and 22, leaving about 4,000 Lebanon area residents without power for about five hours.
The first incident took place at the Froman substation on Fry Road between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on April 21. Thieves broke into the station and stole copper grounding wire.
Consumer's Power spokesperson Mary Zimmerman said the company became aware of the theft after customers reported voltage fluctuations in appliances and lights.
Crews investigating the report discovered the damaged substation and shut it down for almost two hours to make repairs.
"Cutting the ground wires electrifies the whole station and creates an incredibly dangerous situation," Zimmerman said. "Someone could be electrocuted just walking up to the station.
The second incident occurred at the Lebanon substation on Santiam Highway at 12:30 a.m. on April 22. Copper grounding wires were stolen, causing the station to fail. Zimmerman said it took crews about three hours to restore service.
Zimmerman said the thefts did several thousand dollars damage to the two substations.
Linn County Sheriff's detective Randy Voight said no arrest had been made in connection with the thefts.
Despite new rules that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, requiring scrap dealers to photograph sellers and photocopy their identification, metal thefts are still common.
"Burcham's (in Albany) is really good about working with us. They don't want to buy stolen stuff," Voight said. "There are some places in Salem that probably aren't following the rules."
For sales over $30, Washington state requires dealers to send a check to the seller's street address.