Air-conditioning units or parts from them recently were stolen from three local churches – two in Imperial and one in the Fenton area, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reports.
They are the latest in a string of similar thefts at local churches that began in early November, said Capt. Ron Arnhart of the Sheriff’s Office.
Between Nov. 23 and noon on Nov. 30, someone stole two 5-ton air-conditioning units, each one worth about $3,000, from Bethel Baptist Church in the 5600 block of Old Hwy. 21 in Imperial, the report said.
Sometime on Nov. 21, two Seer air-conditioning units, altogether valued at $1,000, were stolen from Windsor Baptist Church in the 6700 block of Hwy. 61-67 in Imperial, according to the report.
Between Nov. 16 and 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, an industrial-grade air-conditioning unit was damaged at Springdale Baptist Church in the 1700 block of Springdale Boulevard in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton. About $8,000 in damage was caused to that system when copper coils were stripped from it, the report said.
“With the price of copper being high, thieves are stealing air conditioners and copper pipe/metal (from air conditioners) and selling it for scrap,” Arnhart said.
He said air conditioners and parts from them frequently are stolen from vacant homes and businesses.
“They (the thieves) are opportunistic,” he said. “They know when people aren’t there.”
Arnhart said people can buy cages to anchor over air conditioners to make it harder to steal them or parts from them.
He also said security equipment can help deter thefts.
As of Tuesday (Dec. 2), there were no suspects or arrests in the recent thefts of air conditioners and air-conditioning parts from outside churches, Arnhart said.
“We’re looking at it,” he said.
Arnhart asks anyone with information about the thefts to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 636-797-5515.