PORT ANGELES — Clallam County sheriff’s deputies continue to seek information in the case of a brazen copper burglar thought to have fresh electrical burns.
The theft of 100 feet of copper wire cost the Clallam County Public Utility District $120,000 in damages to the Lairds Corner substation, Chief Criminal Deputy Ron Cameron said.
It also knocked out electrical power to some 2,000 customers, with full restoration taking about 12 hours.
A security video viewed by police and PUD employees showed a person wearing a hoodie moving between various parts of the substation removing copper wire.
Footage showed the thief cutting into a grounding wire on a regulator and then being enveloped in an electrical arc, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.
PUD employees told deputies the thief probably would have suffered burns on the face, neck and hands, and also that hair should be missing from those areas.
The theft and ensuing electrical mayhem at the substation blew out three voltage regulators and cut power to about 2,000 customers west of the city at 1 a.m. Saturday.
Short circuit
When one of the grounding wires was cut, it made contact with a regulator, causing a short circuit in the system.
The short circuit damaged two other regulators and sparked the power outage for the Elwha Valley.
The estimated cost of damage to the 3-year-old substation includes the replacement of the wire and damaged parts and overtime for repair crews.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information can phone the Sheriff’s Office at 360-417-2459.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
