News headline from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department:

On January 25th, a concerned citizen noticed a man loitering around a Southern California Edison electric power pole in the easement behind their property, and reported him to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dispatch.

Deputies conducted an investigation that lead to the identification of James Ulmer as the suspect.  Ulmer was seen loitering around the power pole and removing the ground wire from the pole.

After a lengthy investigation, evidence was collected that showed James Ulmer, 43, of Apple Valley, had climbed one hundred power poles that belonged to Southern California Edison Corporation and removed the bare copper ground wires from the power poles.  Ulmer removed ground wires from power poles in an approximate five square mile residential area of Apple Valley.  The theft of the ground wire spanned over a two and a half month time frame ending on January 25th.

Each time Ulmer would steal ground wire, he and his wife, Maxine Ulmer, 44, also of Apple Valley, would take the stolen wire to local recycling centers where they were selling the wire as scrap metal.

The estimated damage to the power poles by the removal of the ground wire and subsequent pole damage is estimated by Southern California Edison to be approximately $130,000 dollars.

After an extensive investigation, both Maxine and James Ulmer were arrested on May 3rd and booked in to the Victorville jail on numerous charges of grand theft and vandalism.

James Ulmer is currently on probation for metal theft out of San Diego County.

Filed under Headline

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

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