Butler County Sheriff's Office

[Public Info Officer]

For Immediate Release…. December 7, 2006

“Coppers” make four copper arrests

Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones announces the proactive police work of Sheriff’s Detectives R. Lambert and M. Gerhardt resulted in the arrest of four people in two separate copper theft cases. The first case occurred 12-01-06 when that city of Oxford put out a radio request (BOLO) for a suspect vehicle involving several suspects involved in a copper theft from a construction site in the city of Oxford. Detectives Lambert and Gerhard decided to go to the Hamilton Scrap Processors, to see if the vehicle showed up. A short time later the suspect vehicle arrived and the following people were detained and later charged with theft by the City of Oxford: James Wagers M/W DOB- 12/13/71, Shawn Clemmons M/W 3/1/78, and Mary Baldwin F/W DOB- 10/20/83. It should also be noted that during the course of the investigation $200 worth of stolen copper was recovered and also a laptop computer which was reported stolen from Wal-Mart in the City of Oxford, earlier in the day.

On 12-05-06, Detectives Lambert and Gerhardt were on routine follow-up investigations in St. Clair Township when they stopped a vehicle pulling a trailer with a large spool of copper of it. The driver of the vehicle Brent Day M/W DOB- 04/03/82 admitted to taking the spool from a construction site on Black Rd. The theft hadn’t been discovered/reported prior to the investigation. The value of this recovery was estimated at $7500.

In the past the term “Copper” was used as a slang term for a police Officer, but I bet Detectives Lambert and Gerhardt with their recent arrests wouldn’t mind being called “Coppers”.


Prepared by: Sgt. Lance Bunnell
Criminal Investigations