Two Somerton men arrested in scrap metal theft

Two Somerton men have been arrested by Yuma County sheriff's deputies as part of ongoing efforts to combat scrap metal thefts locally.

According to Capt. Eben Bratcher of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, deputies have been conducting intensified patrols in areas known to be frequented by scrappers.

"Scrap metal thefts have been increasing due to the skyrocketing price of metals," Bratcher said. "The unfortunate reality of this is not all the scrap metal being picked up is legally obtained.

"With the price of metals so high, the crooks are seeing the effort of stealing scrap metal as significantly worth their effort now," Bratcher said.

The arrests came after a sheriff's deputy discovered two people inside the commercial yard at P and S Salvage, 9345 S. Somerton Ave., on Saturday at shortly before 4 a.m., the sheriff's office said.

The suspects, according to Bratcher, had a truck-load of scrap metal which they had stolen from the business.

The suspects were identified as Daniel Munoz Paz, 48, and Xavier Munoz Paz, 46, both of Somerton. Both suspects were booked into the Yuma County jail on charges of burglary and criminal trespass.

Bratcher said the sheriff's office has seen an increase in the number of scrap metal thefts throughout the county recently, especially in irrigation pumps, which are typically in remote areas.

"In some instances, we are seeing severe property damage to the places the thieves are doing their scraping," Bratcher said. "In the instance of these irrigation pumps, that is thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damage for a few hundred dollars worth of scrap metal."

While it wasn't the case in this theft, Bratcher added that a lot of the thefts are being committed by people wanting to make money to support their drug habits.

Bratcher said copper wire and aluminum piping are what the metal thieves seem to be targeting the most. They usually steal those items from businesses, warehouses, farming operations and homes that are under construction.

He added that investigators believe many of the thieves are selling the metal to recyclers in neighboring San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., where they can get almost double the money at a recycler there than they can here, he added.

The sheriff's office previously said it receives an average of two reports of stolen metal each week.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.