Copper theft blamed for another fatality

A 47-year-old Cleveland resident is thought to have died from electrocution after cutting into a live power wire in an abandoned building. Police investigators told local media outlets copper theft was likely involved.

An online report from Cleveland.com indicates the electrocuted man’s body was found at an abandoned building on the city’s east side.

According to the media report, as of Jan. 31, 2018, the medical examiner’s office had not yet determined an official cause of death, but police reports indicate he appeared to die of electrocution.

That same police report indicates the victim’s body was found by another individual who admitted he had entered the same building to look for potential scrap metal. The police document also states the dead man was found inside a room that had a “high voltage” sign on the door.

The Cleveland.com report indicates the victim, who was named on the website, had previously “been convicted several times for breaking into buildings in order to steal items, including scrap metal, according to court records,” and it recounts a series of arrests dating back to 2005.

In late December 2017, the bodies of two electrocuted men were found inside a Detroit electrical substation, with police also making an initial determination that copper wire and cable theft was involved.