SALINE COUNTY,AR -
Copper thefts in central Arkansas are way up. "It's quick," said Saline County Sheriff Bruce Pennington. "They can go in, cut several different wires and hoses and be able to take off with it right there."
Sheriff Pennington says there's really nothing you can do, but business owners disagree.
The Buffalo Grill boarded and locked up their fridge compressor after a copper theft three months ago. They paint the copper pink so scrap yards know it's stolen.
The owners at Rafferty's Liquor on I-30 know it's easy to steal an air conditioning unit so they raised theirs up about 15 feet to make it that much harder.
Saline County Deputies arrested Randall Brown after seeing video they say shows him stealing air conditioning units outside Salem Pharmacy in Saline County. They say he still had the tools he used in the theft in the back of his truck.
"The individual that would do this, they think they're invisible anyway," said Sheriff Pennington.
And with AC units costing $1,500 a pop, you can't afford to make it easy.
Sheriff Pennington also suggests boxing your air conditioning units in with a chain link fence rather than a wooden fence. That way people passing by can see strange activity rather than thieves hiding behind the fence.
