PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — Two men were arrested Sunday in Floyd County, Kentucky, after allegedly stealing hundreds of pounds of copper wire from a local sawmill.
Prestonsburg Police responded to a burglary report at the Jim C. Hamer sawmill on Lancer-Watergap Road. When officers arrived, the suspects had already fled the scene.
Roughly two hours later, Floyd County sheriff’s deputies stopped a vehicle in Banner that matched the one seen leaving the sawmill. Inside were Phillip Morgan Joseph, 49, of Garrett, and Jackie Darrell Hall, 48, of Offutt. Deputies discovered between 300 and 400 pounds of burnt copper wire in the vehicle.
Hall claimed he had never been to the sawmill and said Joseph picked him up to gather copper for sale. Joseph said the copper had already been at the pickup location. However, officers also found bolt cutters, pry bars, hammers, and saws in the vehicle — tools often used in theft.
Deputies found evidence of copper theft on the sawmill property, along with tire tracks believed to match Joseph’s vehicle. Both men were charged with theft, possession of burglary tools, and criminal mischief.
