PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three people are in custody in connection with two separate copper theft investigations along Interstate 17 in Phoenix this week.
Elias Ramirez, 41, was taken into custody on Wednesday for one alleged copper theft. According to court documents, a Department of Public Safety trooper was alerted by the Highway Patrol Traffic Operations Center (HPTOC) that power had been cut near I-17 and 7th Street.
The trooper arrived at the area and found 41-year-old Elias Ramirez walking along an embankment in the area. Investigators say Ramirez had dirt covering his hands and clothes, and he was detained…