SUPERIOR, Ariz. -- Pinal County sheriff's deputies arrested two suspects after a copper-wire theft at a Salt River Project plant in Superior early Sunday morning.
Security personnel monitoring a remote camera spotted two suspects enter the property shortly after 3 a.m. and cut copper grounding wire, which ran the entire length of the fence line surrounding the facility at 51085 N. Cerro Road.
Deputies were called to the scene and saw a man leaving the area on a bicycle. Sheriff's office spokesman Tim Gaffney said the man matched the description of one of the suspects provided by the security company.
As deputies approached the man, he got off the bike and ran into the desert. He was later located and taken into custody with the assistance of a K-9 from the Superior Police Department.
The second suspect was found hiding in the desert area outside of SRP and was taken into custody without incident.
The two suspects, Ernest Ellison, 41, and Jason Fowler, 32, both of Superior, reportedly admitted to the burglary. They were booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for one count each of criminal trespassing, possession of burglary tools, burglary, aggravated criminal damage and theft.
Fowler was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gaffney said the suspects had cut more than 1,000 feet of copper wire before being arrested. SRP employees estimated the loss from the damage to be more than $15,000.
