Trio Arrested for Copper Theft

LONGVIEW — A pair from Gladewater and one suspect from Longview were arrested Monday for theft of copper. The three were arrested near FM 1845 and Bacle Road after deputies responded to an in-progress theft call. “Monday morning, field deputies were dispatched to an oil field company storage yard off FM 1845 north of Longview after a theft in progress was reported,” Gregg County Sheriff’s Captain Mike Claxton said Tuesday. An employee of a local production company saw a man run from a cart loaded with stolen copper and called law enforcement.

“Two of the three were located and detained when deputies arrived, and the third was found south of the theft site after running into some woods while deputies were en-route,” Claxton said. Michael Dennis Harnden, 50, and Julia Loraine Dodd, 39, both of Gladewater; and Jeffrey Wayne Prichard, 62, of Longview, were charged by probable cause affidavits with one count of theft of copper, a 4th degree felony. Officials say the copper taken from the company was recovered at the arrest location. “Some damage was caused to several electrical transformers when this group removed the copper,” Claxton said. The cost of the damage has not been determined. On Tuesday, Harnden, Dodd, and Prichard were arraigned before Judge B.H. Jameson. Bond was set on each suspect at $10,000. All three remain in jail.