A 37-year-old Onalaska man, David Lamar Hale, was arrested late Wednesday, Oct. 29, after Cleveland police officers caught him allegedly stealing copper and other equipment from a local business.
At about 10:40 p.m. on Oct. 29, Cleveland Police Department Officer A. Mercado was dispatched to the 1600 block of North U.S. Highway 59 following a report of a burglary in progress at Bright Star Solutions Utility Line Construction and Maintenance. The company’s surveillance system had alerted management that someone was inside the fenced property.
The manager told dispatchers that a man was seen on video inside the northern fenced area and provided officers with a description of the suspect, including clothing and tattoos. Dispatchers relayed that information to responding officers, who later discovered a hole cut in the fence during their investigation.
Officers Mercado, Johnson, Rincon and Cpl. Ortega arrived and spotted a maroon Dodge Ram truck pulling a U-Haul tow dolly leaving a wooded area north of the business. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the U.S. 59 north frontage road and identified the driver as Hale, who matched the description provided by the business and was detained for investigation.
Officers observed a large quantity of copper in plain view in the bed of Hale’s truck. Management confirmed that Bright Star had recently experienced copper thefts, and employees identified several of the items in the truck — including hand tools, climbing gear, electrical equipment, Klein and Milwaukee power tools, Buckingham climbing kits, and seven 20-foot mechanical jumpers — as company property.
The total value of the stolen property was estimated at $20,934, with an additional $3,000 in fence damage. Management confirmed the fence had been intact the previous day.
Hale was charged with Theft of Property between $2,500 and $30,000, a state jail felony with bond set at $10,000; Burglary of a Building, a state jail felony with bond set at $10,000; Criminal Mischief between $2,500 and $30,000, a state jail felony with bond set at $10,000; and Criminal Trespass, a Class A misdemeanor with bond set at $5,000.
He was booked into the Cleveland Police Department jail before being transferred to the Liberty County Jail.
Cleveland Police Chief Darrel Broussard credited Officers Mercado, Johnson, Rincon and Ortega, along with dispatchers Cantu and Deal, for their quick response and teamwork during the arrest.