The former Perry Ellis Plant on U.S. Highway 321 Bypass South, Winnsboro, was broken into last weekend, and burglars made off with an estimated $5,000 worth of copper wiring.

A security guard who arrived for work at 7:45 a.m. on Monday reported to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department that during the day he noticed the power was out for the air conditioner in his watchman’s shed. He called the Town electrical department. The Town employee and security guard noticed a side door was open and the alarm box on the door was broken in to. Upon entering the building, they noticed that the copper wiring had been removed from the building.

According to the Sheriff’s report, it appeared that a forklift may have been used to raise someone to remove the wiring in the ceiling. A latch on a rear loading dock door had been cut from the inside to raise the door in the rear of the building.

The report further states that it appeared that someone had taken a large amount of electrical wire that supplied power throughout the building. All electrical panels had been stripped of their wiring all the way up to the ceiling, which is approximately 30-feet high.

There were several forklift tracks and drag marks on the floor near every electrical panel.

This incident is under investigation by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Herman Young said that there has been an increase in copper thefts in the area lately. These thefts are mostly involving suspects who are taking the copper coils out of air conditioning units.