SAN PATRICIO COUNTY, Texas — The San Patricio County Sheriff's Office booked 42-year-old Ricardo Salinas into the San Patricio County Jail Friday morning in connection to a recent copper theft case in Gregory.
Earlier this week, officers initiated an investigation into a case involving large quantities of brand new copper being sold to Corpus Christi salvage yards. According to the Sheriff's Office, officials met up with a seller pulling a trailer loaded with 2,000 pounds of thick-gauge copper.
Officers interviewed the seller and learned that the copper came from spools at TPCO Industries near Gregory, Texas. After further investigation, two empty spools and two full spools were then recovered at Salinas' home in Portland, Texas.
TPCO conducted an inventory and confirmed that $93,000 worth of copper was missing from their yard.
Salinas was booked in the San Patricio County Jail on Friday morning and was charged with first-degree theft.
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