BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Two men were arrested for allegedly stealing and selling more than $100,000 worth of construction materials, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Wednesday.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office witnessed a sale of those materials, which led to the arrests of Rodrin Alexis Garcia Rivera, 31, and Pedro Lozano Moreno, 68. Both face charges of engaging in organized criminal activity.
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BCSO obtained over 1000 circuit breakers and about 800 copper wires valued around $100 each. Salazar said the materials were traced back to residences and a storage facility.
“We have been seeing an uptick involving electrical breakers,” Salazar said. “We’ve seen instances in new home construction where you have six or eight brand new homes side by side on a street, thieves would come through and wipe out the whole neighborhood.”
Since the beginning of the year, Salazar estimated over $250,000 worth of construction theft in San Antonio.
“It’s most likely, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s actually occurring out there because this is a case we see on a nightly basis,” Salazar said.
He suggested new home builders protect their materials by not leaving them in a garage or visible outside. If possible, wait to have them delivered until the installation date.
“Don’t have them delivered until the day they’re going to be installed,” Salazar said.
Lights and surveillance cameras won’t help cases of theft, but Salzar said it could help their investigations.
Salazar said he’s “fully expecting” additional arrests.
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