Ring of Five Arrested Monday for Copper Theft

Five people were arrested Monday morning at approximately 9 a.m. on Patterson Street in Tuskegee, Alabama.

According to Tuskegee Police Chief Lester Patrick, one of the individuals arrested, Antonio Flowers, 22, of 221 Macon County Road 46, was charged with receiving stolen property. The metal Flowers was caught with Patrick later identified as copper.

Authorities are still looking for a sixth suspect who fled the scene on foot during which time, one Tuskegee police officer was injured.

Patrick said when the suspect who fled is apprehended, he or she will also be charged with receiving stolen property.

In the accompanying photo, Tuskegee police take one suspect into custody while blocking off Patterson Street. The blockade stopped a number of vehicles, one of which being a city garbage truck.

As United States picks up momentum with recycling efforts, nations such a China need metal, and local, small town addicts continue to need a fix: meth, crack or simply just a fast buck. Copper recovery sales may average up to $4.50 per pound.

These facts intersect every day, everywhere. Thieves are risking their lives and others' for metal. Perpetrators have been known to cause thousands of dollars in damage to extract just a few hundred dollars' worth of copper.