The Kern County Sheriff’s Office Rural Crime Investigations Unit arrested two people in an undercover operation targeting copper wire thefts across the county. The operation took place on March 3, 2026, in the southern Kern County area after months of investigation into widespread thefts causing thousands of dollars in property damage.
Detectives arranged a meeting with Santiago Lopez (39) and Teresa Ruiz (35), both from Palmdale, CA, and sold them about 400 pounds of copper wire. Lopez failed to follow state recycling laws, including verifying identification and providing receipts. Both suspects were arrested and booked at the Kern County Inmate……