Published on: Thursday, March 01, 2012

By Daryl Buchanan

Police arrested six suspects in connection to a series of copper wire thefts in Aspen Hill.
In early February, Montgomery County Police received a tip from a Verizon representative that someone was stealing heavy-duty copper wire along Connecticut Avenue. On Feb. 23, officers conducting surveillance on Connecticut Avenue saw several men operating a bucket truck in the area, and witnessed the suspects cutting down large sections of copper wire from telephone poles and placing it in a pickup truck.
Police contacted a Verizon representative who told police that no work was authorized at the location where the wire was being taken down.
Police arrested Jose R. Chavez, 43, of Woodbridge, VA; Jose R. Chavez, 19, of Woodbridge, VA; Carlos Chavez-Ponce, 27, of Stafford, VA; Omar A. Hidalgo, 19, of Woodbridge, VA; Jose R. Chavez-Mendoza, 59, of Woodbridge, VA; and Romulo O. Barrera, 37, of Woodbridge, VA.

Police charged the suspects with various counts of theft, including theft and destruction of property over $500. All of the suspects were released; a court date is unavailable at this time. According to Verizon, more than 1,800 feet of copper wire was recovered with a value of $31,500.