BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Authorities are investigating a suspected copper theft operation after multiple individuals were caught burning stolen wiring near a Beckley utility site.
According to Raleigh County officials, the incident began on March 13, 2026, when dispatchers received a report of suspicious activity involving possible copper theft near Mountaineer Gas Company on Business Street.
A witness told deputies he observed several individuals carrying large bundles of wire, including copper telecommunications lines, from the direction of the former hospital property on South Oakwood Avenue. The suspects were seen heading along railroad tracks toward a nearby homeless encampment.
When deputies arrived, they followed the tracks to a wooded area behind the gas facility, where they discovered multiple individuals actively burning electrical wire — a common method used to strip copper.
As officers approached, the suspects fled on foot. Despite commands to stop, all individuals ran into a fenced field area.
- One suspect escaped and has not yet been located
- A second suspect was apprehended by the Beckley Police Department after fleeing uphill
- A third suspect was taken into custody near the VA hospital by the West Virginia State Police
Investigators later determined the wiring had been taken from the former hospital property at 1007 South Oakwood Avenue. Officials say the recovered materials included telecommunications lines, interior electrical wiring, and phone cables.
Authorities noted the damage caused to the facility could fall under violations of the state’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Act.
The investigation is ongoing, and charges are expected.
