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Copper wire stolen anew from Beach Road Pathway
The Marianas Visitors Authority’s Beach Road Pathway Lighting Project is not even complete yet, but 1,500 feet of copper wire worth $1,500 were already stolen.
Rep. Edwin Propst (Ind-Saipan) was the first to disclose the copper wire theft incident through his Facebook account.
Department of Public Safety acting spokesman Jason Tarkong confirmed that it was reported on Saturday that 1,500 feet of copper wire were stolen from the Microl traffic intersection under the boardwalk of the pedestrian pathway on Beach Road.
Propst told Saipan Tribune that he learned about the incident after a member of the MVA board of directors sent him an email.
“I’m outraged!” Propst said.
The lawmaker said the Department of Public Safety needs to conduct better patrolling of Beach Road.
“We need to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of taxpayers’ money,” Propst said.
In his Facebook post yesterday, Propst said what is disturbing about this theft is that it is happening right along Beach Road, where people are always driving at all times of the day and night.
“Are these thieves invisible? Are they ninjas? Are they cloaked in black? Of course not. They are just confident they will never ever, ever, ever get arrested,” he said.
Tarkong said that on Saturday police officers responded to the location where they met with an employee of RNB Construction.
Police learned that the copper wire lines were installed into the PVC pipes used for the lamplights on the pathway.
After installing the wires, RNB employees departed the area on Thursday morning, May 26.
On Saturday at 7:30am, RNB employees discovered the lines were cut and pulled out of the PVC pipes housing the copper wires installed under the boardwalk.
Tarkong said DPS and Crime Stoppers Program are seeking the public’s help for information about the theft.
In 2011, police arrested Primo K. Ogarto who was allegedly caught in the act of stealing copper wire along the pathway.
Police said Ogarto’s action affected the pathway’s wiring system from Oleai Beach Club down to the Fire Station in western Garapan.
MVA again started the Beach Road Pathway Lighting project in the latter part of 2015.
