Two local men charged by police in connection with substation break-in, theft of copper wire

May 1, 2019 | 10:04 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge Police have charged two men following a break, enter and theft at a City of Lethbridge electrical substation that resulted in $300,000 worth of damage.

According to police, during the evening on April 28, the two men gained entry to the substation along the 3500 block of 25 Street West by cutting the lock on a gate, then damaged the lock on the entry door.

Once inside they damaged a significant quantity of equipment with copper inside in order to remove it, and various equipment, including a laser level, network connector and battery charge pack along with spools of copper wire were also stolen.

In addition, a current transformer worth $250,000 and a grounding cart unit worth $25,000 were damaged. The damages total $300,000, and the copper/equipment that was stolen is worth $6,500.

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Then the following day, police responded to a report of suspicious activity at a home along the 2700 block of 7 Avenue North after people were seen loading copper wire from a vehicle into a garage.

Following further investigation, a search warrant was obtained and resulted in the recovery of stolen property, including some from the substation.

57-year-old David Bradley Priest is facing charges of shopbreaking and commit theft and breach of a recognizance, while 29-year-old Travis Roy Priest is charged with shopbreaking and commit theft.

David was remanded to appear in court on May 1. Travis was released on a recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on May 7.

by Aaron Mahoney