LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A southern Indiana man has been arrested and accused of stealing copper and other metals from an LG&E transmission substation.
Daniel Tinney, 47, is facing numerous charges including theft by unlawful taking and trespass of key infrastructure assets.
Arrest records state the Charlestown man entered the North Pope Lick Road substation in Middletown by cutting fences and taking copper wire. The area had been accessed for the last few weeks, and recently, around 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 11.
The thefts led to power outages affecting several businesses and catastrophic equipment failure, according to LG&E. The company said it suffered loss and damages totaling more than $50,000.
Tinney confessed to police about committing the crimes. His vehicle was also captured on surveillance video multiple times at the location.
Police said copper items like those stolen were scrapped since Aug. 15 at a local scrapyard.
Tinney is also facing unlawful acts relating to acquiring metals – injury to property and criminal mischief.
He was arrested on Monday.
Tinney is currently being housed at Metro Corrections.
