Copper thieves target county office building

Call them the “copper bandits.”

Thieves made off with roughly 1,000 pounds – or half a ton – of copper when they broke into five air conditioning units on the roof of the Santa Rosa County administrative building sometime between close of business Aug. 27 and Monday, Aug. 30.

According to a spokesperson from the Milton Police Department, the case has since been closed because there are no suspects and no leads in the mystery.

The theft represents a huge burden for the cash-strapped county.

“All total, our loss was around $76,260,”  said Joy Tsubooka, the county’s public information officer.   “It’s a big deal.”

For more on this story, check out the Sept. 16 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.