Crime & Safety
Man Facing 61 Charges in Theft of Metal From AC Units
Several Brandon-area businesses had to close down earlier this month when thieves ripped up their air-conditioning units.
A Tampa man is facing 61 charges relating to thefts of copper from air conditioning units.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested Joshua Poe, 25, on Aug. 18 at his home at 1701 Skipper Rd. in Tampa.
The combined loss for the 23 victims and businesses is estimated at more than $500,000.
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The sheriff’s office had made AC theft a top priority in property crime after a recent rash of thefts.
Several Brandon-area businesses had to close down when thieves ripped up their AC units. The thieves typically rip up the AC unit to retrieve metal they sell for around $50 at a metal recycling plant.
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"We know Poe has been active in the Brandon and South County area," said Lt. Rick Jahnke, who worked on the case. "But he has been active all over the county and, we believe, Pasco and Pinellas counties as well."
Detectives had no idea how prolific Poe was until he was arrested, Jahnke said.
"It wasn't until after his arrest that we realized just how much one person can impact metal thefts," he said. "By his own admission, he has damaged an estimated $1 million worth of air conditioning units."
The sheriff's office will continue to crack down on metal theft, Jahnke said.
"This was probably the most most prolific metal offender we have had in recent years, but we will not be reducing our efforts in this area," said Jahnke, who encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity.
"I had one tire dealer who had a thief jump a fence at his business just to steal the hubcaps at his store recently so he could sell them for the metal," Jahnke said. "We also have people stealilng railroad ties and sewer grates now. We are way beyond recycling aluminum cans here."
Poe’s arrest culminates a 2 1/2-week long joint investigation with the Special Investigation Division’s Tactical Intelligence Unit and detectives from District 3.
Poe is charged with 23 counts of grand theft, 24 counts of criminal mischief, seven counts of dealing in stolen property and seven counts of providing false information to a secondary metal recycling.
In each of the incidents, Poe would dismantle the air conditioning units and remove the internal parts for copper scrapping.
He then exchanged the metal for money at licensed recycling locations.
