News from the Pennsylvania State Police

Police across Pennsylvania have witnessed an increase in the theft of copper and brass since scrap prices have risen.

The trend hit Cameron County recently when Emporium-based state police probed the theft of copper wire in Lumber Township.

Most recently, Norfolk Southern Railroad was victimized when two known males cut about 70 pounds of copper wire that was hanging from railroad poles in the Village of Cameron in Cameron County's Lumber Township. If it hadn't been for an observant citizen who provided state police a description of both suspects and their vehicle, the case may not have been solved. As it stands, the investigation continues and charges are pending.

The pair was observed along Rt. 120. The witness was able to give police a description of the suspects and their vehicle.

Gas pilfered

Troopers at Emporium are also probing the theft of some gasoline between a two-hour period last Friday night on the Pioneer Road in Sylvan Heights in Shippen Township. Thieves removed a can containing about three gallons of gasoline from a utility shed owned by Mark McLean.

Ulysses burglaries

State police at Denton Hill recently investigated a pair of break-ins near Ulusses.

Sometime over the past couple of weeks, thieves pried open a door at a hunting camp on the Tom May Road in Ulysses Township. Owner is Carl Peters of Wrightsville. The burglars rummaged through the camp but it's not known if anything was taken. Someone also entered an abandoned house on the Musto Hollow Road land rummaged through the contents before leaving. Apparently nothing was taken. The house is owned by Kenneth Collins of Ulysses

Burglars strike

A Sweden Township camp was hit by burglars sometime between July 6 and last weekend. State police from Denton Hill were summoned to Brookland Road, where thieves cut a screen door and pried open a locked door to enter the camp owned by Manny Senna of Provincetown, Mass. They made off with more than $2,000 worth of items, including DVD/VCR players, jewelry, stereo equipment, a telescope and a mountain bike.

Vending machines hit

Emporium-based state police are investigating a series of vending machine thefts recently occuring in Cameron County.

Thieves took the coin mechanism out of a soft drink machine at Fulton's Store in Driftwood; about $25 in change and the coin mechanism from a Pepsi machine owned by Loren Foltz, located in the parking lot of Sinnemahoning State Park; and the coin mechanism from a soft drink machine owned by Gibson Township, located in the Sinnemahoning Recreation Park.

Charged with DUI

Police have charged an Emporium John Carlson, 43, of Emporium with DUI after he was stopped while traveling west along Rt. 120, about five miles outside of Emporium on Sept. 12.

Shippen Twp. break-in

A Cameron County couple reported to state police at Emporium that intruders entered their home on Meadow Road in Shippen Township Friday night between 4:45 and 11:30 p.m., but apparently left emptyhanded.