Portland, Maine Police Arrest Two Accused of Stealing $20K Worth of Copper at Construction Site

Two people were arrested in Portland after they were found hauling off over $20,000 worth of copper and $8500 worth of tools from the construction site of the new Homeless Services Center on Riverside Street late Monday night.

The Portland Police Department posted the information about the arrest on their Facebook page on Tuesday saying that 43-year-old Edward Demers and 23-year-old Chayne Markie, both of Portland, were arrested when they were found on a section of the Portland Trails system pushing wheelbarrows they had filled with copper. Police later found a truck belonging to Markie that was full of tools from the site.

Why are so many people across the world stealing copper? According to thesliverlining.com, copper used to be relatively cheap but, like so many things, it's value has skyrocketed. However, they also say there's a cheap and easy way to protect your copper. Paint it black.

They say painting every piece of copper pipe and components black makes it look like your copper black. Everything made out of copper gets a nice coat of black making it look like plastic tubing which isn't worth thieves' time. Also installing security cameras are a big help too and are relatively cheap these days if you have an internet connection. Our Nest Cam on our front deck is completely wireless and can be mounted on any flat surface.

Portland Police said these two were charged with burglary, felony theft, criminal mischief and refusal to submit to arrest, so they'll be hanging out at the Cumberland County Jail for a bit. Markie was also charged with Violation of Conditions of Release, which could be a bit longer of a visit.