Man Gets Prison Time For Copper Caper [AUDIO]

A Thermopolis man was sentenced to prison for grand larceny and property destruction in District Court in Casper Thursday. Stolen rolls of copper cable:

Frank Talmage, 48, was sentenced to 3 to 5 years in prison for one count of property destruction and one count of grand larceny; the sentences are to run concurrently.

The charges stem from a Dec. 16th theft of copper wire from Ensign US Drilling on Seven Mile Road in Natrona County.

Details from the police affidavit describe a disorganized attempt by Talmage and two others to steal copper to be sold to a recycler. A sheriff's deputy stopped their truck within hours of the caper, the deputy following a trail of wire segments to make the traffic stop.

Once the call came in about the 30,000 dollars worth of stolen wire, authorities connected the traffic stop to the theft. The deputy saw bolt cutters during the stop, and a section of fence was cut through at the crime scene, along with footprints in the snow.

At the sentencing, District Court Judge Catherine Wilking also ordered Talmage to pay nearly 13,000 dollars in restitution.