Utah AG investigators say copper thefts are rising after Salt Lake County bust

Richard Byatt, host of the Legally Speaking podcast, opened an episode with a summary of a Salt Lake County case in which detectives arrested four men connected to the theft of more than 10,000 pounds of copper, valued at roughly $147,000. He introduced James Russell, commander of the AG's case unit, and Megan Johnson, an agent with the state Bureau of Investigation, who described the case and broader theft trends.

"The copper value is pretty high right now," Johnson said, explaining why thieves find stealing wire and other metals lucrative. Russell and Johnson told the host that thefts are occurring at construction sites, electric vehicle charging stations, rail lines, power stations and from junction boxes on public streets, and that the losses and repair costs can far exceed the resale value of the metal.

Why it matters: investigators said thefts of this scale can damage critical infrastructure, interrupt public services (including EV…