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Metal Thieves Strike Again by Staff KVAL, August 24, 2006

Goshen - Wire, copper and other metals continue to be hot commodities for local thieves.

The latest attempted break-in at the Bonneville Power Administration has prompted the company to offer a hefty reward to the person who finds the perpetrators. The BPA is offering 25 thousand dollars to anyone with information on the crime at their substation in Goshen that leads to an arrest.

Monday, we reported that ground wire was stolen from the BPA. Tuesday night, someone tried to steal from the substation again.

Lane County Sheriff's deputies say the suspect tried to breach the perimeter of the fence, but did not get in. This attempted break-in is one in a series of incidents in which thieves have stolen metal from BPA--an activity which officials say is highly dangerous. "These wires or precious metal is used to carry electricity currents and a lot of the electrical currents are extremely high, which could cause a fatality easily," Captain Thomas Turner with the Lane County Sheriff's Office said.

We spoke with BPA spokesman Mike Hansen in a phone interview who says there has been six break-in attempts over the last four weeks alone.

Authorities say, the best way to stop this is to report any suspicious activity. "One of the things we're concerned about is making sure the businesses and the people that are victims do report it and make sure they get that in in a timely matter so that we can put the two together," Captain Turner said.

BPA has a crime witness program that offers monetary rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of thieves. Anyone with such information should call the hotline at (800) 437-2744.