Sheriff: Man found with stolen copper

Jackie G. Ferguson, 35, was arrested Saturday at a casino in Bettendorf, Iowa, on a Whiteside County warrant for theft and damage to property. His preliminary hearing is Thursday.

In August, Whiteside County sheriff’s deputies received a report from a rural Sterling business where copper wire was taken. The investigation led to Ferguson, who had the wire, still on the spool and with about half the plastic burned off, Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi said.

Deputies obtained an arrest warrant, but Ferguson, who has convictions for driving while his license was revoked, damaging property and DUI, disappeared, the sheriff said.

The wiring was worth about $10,000, but would have fetched only about $2,000 at a scrap yard, Wilhelmi said.