Cell phone towers and wind turbines in some Iowa communities have become popular sites for copper theft.
Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said thieves risk their lives, not to mention jail time, climbing the tall structures to get a few dollars worth of copper.
Commercial wind farm turbine towers average 250 to 325 feet tall. Cell phone towers can range from 40 feet to 650 feet tall, with most around 100 feet in height.
The damage done by the burglars can cost thousands of dollars to repair.
KETV.com reports Danker’s deputies recently caught two men at the top of a cell phone tower near the Lewis and Clark Monument.
DeKalb and Polk counties have also reported multiple copper thefts from cell phone towers.
Scrap copper currently sells for around $3.65 per pound.
