Thieves steal $600,000 in copper wire in Aurora

Thieves made off with about $600,000 in copper wire from an Aurora warehouse over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

Police are investigating the theft of 40 spools from Houston Wire and Cable, 2453 Prospect Drive, on the city's far east side.

Officers responded to a burglar alarm at the business at 3:24 a.m. Sunday and saw two semitrailer trucks backed into loading docks but did not believe anything was amiss at the time.

It wasn't until Monday morning that employees discovered the theft.

Company officials told police there should have only been one trailer at the warehouse. Police now believe the burglars may have been in the building when the alarm went off but were blocked from view by the trailers.

"This is a huge warehouse inside an industrial complex and unless there is an open door or obvious way of getting into the building ... there's no way the officers can get inside," police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said.

The burglars appear to have gained entry by cutting a hole in a loading bay door. Police believe they then used a forklift from the warehouse to move the large spools of wire spanning 6 feet in diameter through an overhead door and onto a trailer not belonging to Houston Wire and Cable.

Ferrelli said thousands of people could have access to such a trailer so it's not a viable lead right now, but it could be a relevant piece of information once they find potential suspects.

Asked if it is believed to be an inside job, he said police "have got more than one working theory and we're not ruling anything out at this point."

Ferrelli said copper wire is a popular item for thieves who often sell it for scrap. Its theft has been a nationwide problem although it has somewhat subsided recently as the price for copper has gone down.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call police at (630) 801-6655 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.