Four accused of manhole cover thefts in Hampshire

A search for a little scrap metal could lead to a lot of trouble for two people from Gilberts and two from Hampshire.

Four people face felony charges alleging they stole manhole covers from four locations in a Hampshire subdivision last Thursday.

Hampshire Police Lt. Hobert Jones said authorities arrested Hampshire residents Olivia M. Albarran, 18, and Ryan M. Sanders, 20, both of the 1000 block of Como Circle, along with Gilberts residents Justin J. Liss, 18, of the 0-99 block of Higgins Road, and David L. Schaeffer, 17, of the 0-99 block of Galligan Road.

Each is charged with two counts of felony theft of state-supported property in excess of $500, according to court records. They are all free on bond pending their next court date on Friday.

If convicted, each charge carries a sentence ranging from probation to seven years in prison.

Jones said the four were arrested Thursday afternoon after a someone called police and reported that occupants in a vehicle with a loud muffler in the Tuscany Subdivision had stolen manhole covers.

Jones said the covers were valued at $200 to $300 each; he could not specify who was driving, but noted that authorities found the manhole covers in the vehicle when the arrests were made.

“The manhole covers were not in the street. They were in grassy areas,” Jones said. adding the quartet could have been planning to sell the items for scrap. “It's a built-out subdivision. The only thing that is missing are houses. All streets are in.”