Man Dies in Attempted Copper Wire Theft

What a terrible thing for these two children to have heard and witnessed. They must have been terrified.

Awful. We are living in bad times and it's sad event to hear about. My heart goes out to the children involved and I hope they don't lose their mother too.

I always taught my children to weigh carefully if they ever thought of committing a crime if it was worth their life. When committing a crime there can be an "unknown factor" ...and this story certainly shows that. Too bad the father didn't bring some kind of meter to see of the wires were live. (My Dad was an electrician) He paid a high price for his crime.

Many years ago a man owned a warehouse, I think in Miami. Someone kept cutting a hole in the roof and dropped into the warehouse to steal all the merchandise stored there. The man got fed up with it and suspended an electrified grid. Sure enough the thief cut another hole, dropped down and was electrocuted by the grid. The man who installed the grid was not thinking of fire personnel who could have met the same fate so he was in some trouble.

But the point of my telling my children this story was the "Unknown Factor"...

One may think they know how to commit a crime and get away with it, but the "unknown factor" can cause you to pay a high price for the crime.... when you wind up losing your life.

This is awful. Hopefully the mom will make it. And hopefully the kids will get through this, and be okay!!

Oh my goodness ... I hope the mom makes it through. Even though they were stealing and in the wrong, it is still a sad story ... Especially since there are children involved.

I don't condone what they were doing but nobody should did committing a non violent burglary. I feel sorry for all of them.

Ouch! Tragic - thanks for the update

They were trying to steal copper from an "electrical vault", not just a vacant home. An electrical vault is required by the NEC2008 (National Electrical Code) on anything over 600volts. It is basically a free standing building, built to a 3 hour fire rating, which house all the electrical equipment. You've all surely seen them before at an industrial or commercial complex. They're the buildings with the big signs on them that state "HIGH VOLTAGE. DO NOT ENTER". Aside from having your kids along with you while you are basically committing a burglary (that is how the law would treat it), this was a collassally stupid error.

This is tragic on so many levels. I have sympathy for the children but not for the adults.

I wish that when people decide to commit a crime (no matter their motivation) they decide to leave their children at home. This is the worst case, but even risking your child see you put in hand cuffs is too big a risk. If, one is so desperate for money they are forced to illegal activity when they would normally not commit crimes, don't teach your child that it is OK, allow them to remain innocent for a while.

Can you imagine the horror for those poor children.

what a tragic situation for those poor children. even if their mother survives she will probably go to jail for quite some time.

it is sad that the kids had to hear and more then likely see what was going with their mom and dad , i feel for them an i hope that they have family that can take them if not that they stay togeather and i hope that their mom makes it through this and learns her lesson

In the late '70s the price of copper spiked. My wife was working at a government research lab where people had to have a security clearance. They had to pass through a guard gate to enter and exit. On a hot summer day a man collapsed from a heart attack while waiting in line to go through the gate. The paramedics found that he had wound a hundred pounds or so of copper wire around his chest.

Wow, he got what he deserved.

People are stupid. I can't believe they brought their kids along on their "heists". Our church has had the copper stolen out of their air conditioners four times in the last two years. It's expensive to fix. I feel so so so sorry for the kids. If people would use common sense, a heck of a lot of people would still be alive and kicking today.

I do feel bad for the children but not very much for the adults.