Prosecutors say two men are at the center of a copper theft spree in West Valley City that gutted buildings for scrap and left more than $100,000 in damage in their wake. The hits included a Jordan Valley Water facility and a vacant structure on Redwood Road, where officials say costly repairs and stolen electronics were left behind. Investigators say the arrests followed a trail of surveillance footage and fingerprints that tied the suspects to multiple break-ins.
According to ABC4, prosecutors say Christopher David Smith is charged with theft over $5,000; four counts of burglary; two counts of property damage with loss over $5,000; and one count of criminal conspiracy. Court filings state the Jordan Valley Water building lost about $300 worth of copper but suffered more than $5,000 in damage, while the owner of the vacant Redwood Road property reported roughly $90,000 in damage. The Utah Attorney General’s Office brought the case after a special agent coordinated with the West Valley City Police Department, according to the report…