Kinetic officials said it’s hard to say why people commit these crimes, but they’re working with law enforcement and city officials to figure out the reasons and prevent future thefts.

“We believe, and some law enforcement officials have told us this, that some of these thieves turn to stealing when the economy and people are in a difficult situation. They are particularly focused on copper because the price of copper is high right now,” said David Faggard, a spokesman for Kinetic.

Faggard said this is a process with far-reaching implications for the community.

“It impacts first responders and their ability to communicate within communities and with other life-saving organizations and services,” Faggard explained. “Cable theft increases costs for companies, governments, homes and small businesses.”

Kinetic estimates that more than 350 private households and small businesses have been cut off from power as a result of the thefts.

This is also the case for Pantry Shelf owner Susan Brotherton, who said reception was down all day on Friday and the phone was down for nine days in May.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Brotherton. “We’re open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can’t take call orders. People can’t call and order early.”

Faggard said fiber optic cables, which do not contain copper, are sometimes cut. The motive for these cases is unclear, and he said it is more likely to be vandalism than theft.

According to Clay County law enforcement, one such problem occurs weekly.

Kinetic is asking people who see downed wires to report it immediately, and anyone who has seen or heard anything related to these crimes should report it to authorities.

You can find more information about the outages and where exactly these thefts occurred on Kinetic’s website.

All rights reserved.