The recent large copper heist from the Perry Ellis plant on Highway 321 Bypass is part of a larger issue, according to recent Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department incident reports.

Three other incidents have also been reported. On May 7 and 8, there were reports of air conditioning units being stripped of their copper components at two residences in the Winnsboro area. On May 17, wires had been removed from equipment at a construction company in Blair, causing several thousand dollars worth of damage.

“We had some copper theft a couple of months ago within the town limits,” said Winnsboro Public Safety Department Chief Fred Lorick. “But we had an arrest.”

Sources close to the incident said that the Perry Ellis building was ripped clean and that the people who made off with all of the copper wiring were professionals who had the job planned, because they knew exactly what to cut.

Perhaps because of the economy, there have been thefts of large amounts of copper wiring and pipes all over the country, often from abandoned buildings.

An employee of Mid-Carolina Steel and Recycling on Columbia Road in Columbia said that the stolen copper would probably bring $2.10 to $2.80 a pound.