CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — A Corpus Christi man was arrested Sunday on first-degree felony charges after police say he stole copper from a construction site Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital, resulting in more than $1 million in damages.
According to the Corpus Christi Police Department, a witness called police just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday after seeing a man stealing copper from the construction site. The man was tracked down at Elizabeth and 6th streets and taken back to the scene to be identified by the witness.
Police said the suspect, later identified as 33-year-old Albert Roberts, had multiple pieces of copper in his backpack and was carrying an orange sweatshirt with a copper pipe protruding from it. Roberts was arrested for theft of metal and criminal mischief.
A contractor told police that the copper theft resulted in significant flooding of three floors, with damage costs estimated at over $1 million. Because the damage cost was over $300,000, Roberts faces a first-degree felony charge of criminal mischief and faces between 5-99 years in jail.
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