Four people, including the owner of a recycling center, have been charged in an investigation into the theft of several thousand pounds of copper in Raleigh County. Charles Stanley faces 10 counts of felony transferring stolen property and four misdemeanor counts of the same charge while Douglas McMillion and Jason Pauley face two felony counts of the charge, according to the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said they were able to identify the two men as suspects from receipts at Wood’s Recycling in Beaver. The men later confirmed to deputies they’d brought wire into the recycling center. Lewis Richmond, the owner of Woods Recycling, was also charged with 17 felony counts of receiving stolen property. Stanley is accused of stealing about 6,986 pounds of copper belonging to Frontier Communications that is worth more than $20,000. The sheriff’s office said the investigation began following a spike in thefts in recent months.