Thief used mom’s SUV to steal copper wiring from farms, say police
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- Accused of stealing nearly 500 pounds of copper wire from Franklin County farm.
- Cameras show his mother's Trailblazer on farm and selling wire at a scrapyard.
- Authorities cite nearly $11,000 damage for thefts and up to $90,000 countywide.
A former farm employee is accused of using his mother’s SUV to steal and pawn copper wire from a Franklin County farm.
In all, he’s charged with causing nearly $11,000 in damage when he took about 500 pounds of copper wire, according to court documents.
Richardo Perez-Ventura, 36, allegedly worked at Greenridge Farms for 14 years before he was fired in 2022. Investigators said he used his knowledge of the farm’s equipment, irrigation system and access points to steal items and copper wiring from irrigation pivots in fields south of Mesa on March 14 and 15.
Franklin County sheriff’s investigators suspect Perez-Ventura could be responsible for an upswing in wire thefts in the county in recent months and may be responsible for up to $90,000 in damages to farming systems.
Investigators say security video shows he sold about $4,100 of wire to a Kennewick scrap recycler between Feb. 7 and March 14. It’s unclear how much of it is believed to be stolen.
Perez-Ventura is being held in the Franklin County jail on suspicion of first-degree theft, first-degree malicious mischief, two counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property and second-degree trespassing. Bail is set at $5,000.
Copper wire farm thefts
In January, Perez-Ventura was caught with $9,500 in items reportedly stolen from the farm where he previously worked, court documents said.
He was allegedly trying to sell them to two men. Deputies also reportedly found cocaine in his truck.
On March 23, Oregon Potato Company, which operates in association with Greenridge Farms, alerted police to two copper wire thefts that were part of a continuing theft problem.
A field manager discovered the thefts after he received alerts that the irrigation system failed on March 14 and March 15.
A motion-activated camera on an access road showed a Chevy Trailblazer driving an access road and entering the farm property on March 15. The Trailblazer is registered to Perez-Ventura’s mother, said investigators.
Other security cameras showed the Trailblazer going twice to a Kennewick scrapyard to sell copper wire.
On March 14, he was the driver and allegedly sold 149 pounds. On March 16, a woman who knows Perez-Ventura, drove the same SUV to the scrapyard to sell 244 pounds of wire, court documents said.