Police catch man stealing copper piping in Hanover

HANOVER, Mass. — By day, 47-year-old Michael Davis worked as a pizza employee. Police say he also had a lucrative night job: stealing copper.

Davis is accused in multiple house breaks. Authorties say he targeted homes for sale; he’d break in, cover the windows with black plastic trash bags and get to work stealing copper.

About 10 p.m. Monday, detectives had him under surveillance and caught him in the act at a house in Hanover.

Police say Davis ran and was caught down the street. He was dressed for his night job, according to court documents.

“He had in his possession an orange back pack, he was wearing gloves and an LED headlamp. He had on his person, a pipe cutter, pry bar and screwdriver," according to court documents.

Copper theft from work sites to churches is an ongoing problem. Police say people steal it for the money. Right now, copper goes for about $3 a pound.

One neighbor called the copper thefts "frightening."

“It just makes you think what is going on when you go to bed at night?” they said.

Cox Media Group