Men arrested for copper theft at hospital construction site

Four men were arrested for stealing $100,000 worth of copper piping from the Inova Alexandria Hospital construction site at Landmark, ALXnow reports.

Three suspects – from Alexandria, Va., and Laurel, Columbia, and Suitland, Md. – were charged with grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, unlawful entry, concealing their identities with masks, and conspiracy to commit grand larceny. They were released on bond. Their preliminary hearing is May 20.

Around 9 p.m. on April 11, a construction supervisor at the site called the Alexandria Police Department to report that the lock on a gate leading into the construction site had been cut and that more than $10,000 in tools had been stolen in the early morning hours of April 5. The construction manager later reported that more than $10,000 in tools had also been stolen on April 10.

Related story: Inova commemorates a milestone in its hospital project

An Alexandria police officer who responded to the site found four suspects on the second floor of the building wearing face masks, construction vests, and dark clothing throwing copper piping into a U-Haul truck.

The incident occurred just days before local and regional leaders gathered for a topping-off ceremony for the hospital project on April 13.

According to the ALXnow story, the suspect who rented the U-Haul truck admitted to the thefts after being read his Miranda rights.