Rash of Air-Conditioner Thefts Keep Detectives Busy, Businesses on Edge

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has been busy working to crack the rash of air-conditioning thefts that have cost retailers business as thieves increasingly target the units for their valuable metals.

"AC thefts have been increasing over the past year. It's a top priority for us," said sheriff's office spokesperson Larry McKinnon. "These people are tearing apart $2,500 AC units for metal they sell for $50. Two guys in a pickup truck can do a lot of damage within 10 minutes but they leave businesses down for days.”

Detectives in turn urge homeowners and businesses to remain vigilant by keeping the areas around air-conditioning units well lit and reporting any suspicious activity.

“It’s not the work of a gang or an organized criminal element," said Cpl. Steve Billor, of the sheriff's office's Metal Thefts Investigative Unit. "These are people who don’t want to work and are often just looking for an easy way to support a drug habit.”

The warning comes on the heels of the recent theft of 12 air-conditioning units from a Seffner shopping plaza that left employees working in sweltering heat and thousands of dollars in lost business.

Deborah Lastinger, a travel specialist at Global Express Travel, 1004 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., first noticed something was amiss after arriving to work Aug. 8.

“I came in and turned the AC on but didn’t hear anything," she said. "I then went out back to see if the unit had turned on and it looked like a tornado had hit it. There was metal everywhere. They just ripped the units out. My co-worker and I are working from home this week, we just couldn’t take the heat.”

Global Express owner Delores Straight said she needed to work at the office. Thankful for some afternoon showers, Straight still had her fan at full blast as she worked in the Seffner Oaks Square business Aug. 8.

“It was 92 degrees in here yesterday," she said. "It’s too warm to have clients in. The police did a very thorough investigation but what can they do? They can’t have a unit sitting here 24 hours a day.”

Optician Kathy Childree said she was doing her best to beat the heat just a few doors away at Cagle Vision, 1016 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.

“It’s hot but we have two fans going," Childree said. "At first I thought they just took the copper, but when I saw what it looked like in the back, where the units used to be, it was just unreal. It looked like a storm had come through.”

Less than a mile away in Mirror Lake Plaza, Tammy Kaspi can relate. Thieves stole three air-conditioning units from the plaza last month, leaving Kaspi without air-conditioning for a week at her hair salon, Extreme Makeover Hair, 1016 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.

“We tried to work without the AC for a day but it was 91 degrees in here. It would make you sick,” said Kaspi.

Closing the salon for a week cost her $1,800 in lost business, Kaspi said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has responded to the rash of thefts with the Metal Thefts Investigative Unit.

“It’s a crime of opportunity for these people who are usually looking to support a drug habit," Billor said. "It’s requires very little skill. They just cut out some wires and take the copper to the scrap-metal yard."

The unit has made since its inception and is conducting investigations and surveillance countywide.

Detectives are taking a proactive approach to stopping the thefts, staking out yards where the stolen metal is exchanged for quick cash and conducting surveillance in areas criminals might target.

One such surveillance operation paid off earlier this week when deputies spotted two men driving out of a business complex near U.S. 301 and Palm River Road at 5:45 a.m. Aug. 6, with an air-conditioner loaded into the back of a pickup truck.

Two men were eventually after ramming an unmarked sheriff’s car and leading deputies on a chase through the Greater Brandon area.

Detectives are trying to determine if the pair is linked to other thefts in the area.

“AC thefts have been increasing in the last year. It’s a top priority with us,” said sheriff’s office Detective Larry McKinnon. “These people are tearing apart $2,500 AC units for metal they sell for $50. Two guys in a pickup truck can do a lot of damage within 10 minutes but they leave businesses down for days.”

The crime is not just limited to Hillsborough County. More than 20 air-conditioning units were stolen from a tomato-processing plant in Manatee County last month.

“It’s just thieves going out there and looking for an opportunity to steal and make some quick money,” McKinnon said.

While stealing metal from air-conditioning units or sprinkler heads from strawberry fields -- another favorite of metal thieves -- requires little know-how, redeeming metal for quick cash is not as easy anymore, McKinnon said.

“The sheriff’s office pushed for a law that now requires ID and a thumbprint for anyone turning in metal at scrap yards," he said. "We now have those records and we follow up on suspicious cases.”   

Billor offers crime-prevention tips for homeowners and business owners:

• Keep the area around your air-conditioning unit well lit. “Well-lit areas are the No. 1 deterrent to crime,” Billor said.
• Talk to your neighbors and fellow business owners and call deputies immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary.

“We are definetly soliciting the help of people to call if they see something abnormal," Billor added. "We need as many eyes looking out as possible.”