WWW.NCICAP.ORG TONIGHT ANOTHER COPPER CONTROVERSEY.THIS TIME DEPUTIES THINK THE THIEVES MADE OFF WITH TRACTORTRAILERS AND CUT THEM UP FOR PARTS. PARTS. THE SEARCH FOR THESE SCRAP METAL SUSPECTS IS OUR TOP STORY ON NEWS 12 FIRST AT FIVE. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANKS FOR JOINING US. IM RICHARD ROGERS IN FOR TOM CAMPBELL. CAMPBELL. AND IM MEREDITH ANDERSON. WERE TALKING ABOUT NEARLY HALFAMILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF TRUCK PARTS AND COPPER HERE AND DEPUTIES HAVE KIDS TO THANK FOR TODAYS BREAK IN THE CASE. CASE. THEY SMBLED ON SOME OF THE SCRAP IN THE WOODS. NEWS 12S SAMANTHA ANDRE JOINS WITH MORE ON THIS POSSIBLE TRUCKING THEFT RI. RING. FOUR TRACTOR TRAILERS WENT MISSING IN MARCH... NOW INVESTIGATORS FOUND WHERE THE THIEVES WERE BUTCHERING THEM FOR PARTS... THE ONLY THING LEFT...IS TO FIND OUT WHO DID IT. THESE TRACTOR TRAILERS...STRIPPED DOWN...FOR PARTS. INVESTIGATORS SAY THIEVES STOLE HEM FROM WAYNESBORO ANCOLUMBIA COUNTY... AND BROUGHT THEM HERE TO THE MIDDLE OF THE BURKE COUNTY WOODS...TO CHOP THEM UP. I WAS HOPING THEYLL FIND IT ALTOGETHER IN ONE, BUT I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY THEYLL FIND IT IN ONE PIECE NOW. JUDSON CUNNINGHAM HAD HIS TRUCK STOLEN... INVESTIGATORS THINK THIS IS PART OF HIS TRUCK...THAT SOMEONE STOLE IN MARCH. THESE OTHER TRUCKS WERE STOLEN FROM COLUMBIA COUNTY ALSO IN MARCH. ON TUESDAY...KIDS FOUND WHATS LEFT OF THEM. WE THINK THERE WAS A MONEY GAIN HERE EITHER SELLING THE PARTS OR PUTTING THEM ON A TRUCK FOR THEIR OWN USE. CAPTAIN FRANKIE PARKER SAYS THE THIEVES BROUGHT THE TRUCKS HERE TO HIDE THEM. THEY EVEN HAD TO CUT DOWN SOME TREES TO MAKE A ROAD... TO KEEP THE TRUCKS HIDDEN FROM THE HIGHWAY. HIGHWAY.I THINK THEY FELT COMFORTABLE ABOUT BEING BACK HERE THAT THEY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO COME BACK AND FINISH STRIPPING. AND ALL THOSE PARTS THEY GOT...CAN ADD UP... CAPTAIN PARKER SAY THREE OF THE TRUCKS ARE WORTH ABOUT AHUNDREDTWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH...NATS? AND THIS TRAILER WAS ALSO IN THE WOODS... INDE... ABOUT 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF COPPERCOATED WIRE. INVESTIGATORS THINK THE THIEVES WERE JUST TRYING TO TAKE THE TRUCK BUT THE COPPER WAS AN ADDED BONUS. IT S CUNNINGHAMS TRUCK THAT HAD THE TRAILER ATTACHED...NOW HE AND HIS FAMILY ARE LEFT STRUGGLING. THATS PRETTY ROUGH ON YOU, YOU KNOW, IM DRAWING SOCIAL SECURITY BUT THAT NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF THE BILLS I GOT AROUND THE HOUSE HERE. THE THIEVES TOOK AWAY HIS MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME. NOW HE JUST HOPES THEYRE CAUGHT BEFORE THEY CAN TAKE FROM ANYONE ELSE. INVESTIGATORS HAVE SOME LEADS IN THE CASE...BUT HAVE NOT MED ANY SUSPECTS YET. THEY BELIEVE AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED...SINCE THREE TRUCKS WERE TAKEN AT THE SAME TIME. SO WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT COPPER YOU SAW BACK THERE? THERE? WELL THERES A LOT OF ITABOUT 36 THOUSAND POUNDS...LOOKS LIKE THE THIEVES FOUND IT BUT HADNT FOUND A WAY TO MOVE IT YET... IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, CALL THE BURKE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE.

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AIRDATE: 06-18-2008
TRANSCRIPT: www.ncicap.org tonight another copper controversey.this time deputies think the thieves made off with tractortrailers and cut them up for parts. parts. the search for these scrap metal suspects is our top story on news 12 first at five. good afternoon. thanks for joining us. im richard rogers in for tom campbell. campbell. and im meredith anderson. were talking about nearly halfamillion dollars worth of truck parts and copper here and deputies have kids to thank for todays break in the case. case. they smbled on some of the scrap in the woods. news 12s samantha andre joins with more on this possible trucking theft ri. ring. four tractor trailers went missing in march... now investigators found where the thieves were butchering them for parts... the only thing left...is to find out who did it. these tractor trailers...stripped down...for parts. investigators say thieves stole hem from waynesboro ancolumbia county... and brought them here to the middle of the burke county woods...to chop them up. i was hoping theyll find it altogether in one, but i doubt very seriously theyll find it in one piece now. judson cunningham had his truck stolen... investigators think this is part of his truck...that someone stole in march. these other trucks were stolen from columbia county also in march. on tuesday...kids found whats left of them. we think there was a money gain here either selling the parts or putting them on a truck for their own use. captain frankie parker says the thieves brought the trucks here to hide them. they even had to cut down some trees to make a road... to keep the trucks hidden from the highway. highway.i think they felt comfortable about being back here that they had enough time to come back and finish stripping. and all those parts they got...can add up... captain parker say three of the trucks are worth about ahundredtwenty thousand dollars each...nats? and this trailer was also in the woods... inde... about 30 thousand dollars worth of coppercoated wire. investigators think the thieves were just trying to take the truck but the copper was an added bonus. it s cunninghams truck that had the trailer attached...now he and his family are left struggling. thats pretty rough on you, you know, im drawing social security but that not enough to take care of the bills i got around the house here. the thieves took away his main source of income. now he just hopes theyre caught before they can take from anyone else. investigators have some leads in the case...but have not med any suspects yet. they believe at least three people were involved...since three trucks were taken at the same time. so what about all that copper you saw back there? there? well theres a lot of itabout 36 thousand pounds...looks like the thieves found it but hadnt found a way to move it yet... if you have any information, call the burke county sheriffs office.