Oxford Police Stop Burglary in Progress

A call comes in to the Oxford Resident Trooper’s Office of a burglary in progress at a Connecticut Light & Power substation on Great Hill Road at 10:23 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Representatives from an alarm service tell police they see two individuals wearing dark clothes and ski masks in a motion sensitive camera removing copper wire from CL&P trucks, police said.

Officer Gary Soules heads to the rear of the substation and discovers an opening that appears to be cut; he sees a large roll of copper outside the fence, police said. Officer P.J. Hopson scans the interior of the lot and sees two dark figures hiding in the shadows of the Northeast corner, police said.

The officers tell the two white males to stay still, show their hands and order them to lie still before cuffing them, police said.

Matthew John Cassidy and Brett Baczek were found in possession of cable cutters, electrical tape, cell phones and ski masks, police said.

Cassidy, 26, of 29-6 Balance Rock Road, Seymour, and Baczek, 25, of 123 Newgate Road, Oxford, were charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree larceny, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal trespass. They were released on $3,000 bonds and are scheduled to be arraigned at Derby Superior Court on June 20. 

Copper prices have soared in the past five years, and is up around $4 a pound, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

This is not the first time local police have dealt with a copper theft at the local CL&P substation. In January, police nabbed two men for stealing copper the same way from the substation.