PORT ANGELES — The investigation into Saturday’s theft of copper wire that caused $120,000 in damage and cut power to 2,000 customers continued Sunday but with no new leads, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
“We have some ideas, but no suspects,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Munger.
An image of the thief was caught on security video, but the Sheriff’s Office did not yet have the video available for review Sunday, Munger said.
Detectives would likely receive the recording from the PUD and review it today to see if it provides useful information, he said.
On Saturday, Munger said the video shows a person wearing a hoodie, moving between various parts of the substation.
The theft of 100 feet of copper wire from a Clallam County Public Utility District substation blew out three voltage regulators and cut power to about 2,000 customers west of the city at 1 a.m. Saturday.
When one of the grounding wires was cut it, made contact with a regulator, causing a short circuit in the system.
The short circuit damaged two other regulators and sparked the power outage for the Elwha Valley.
The cost of the damage to the 3-year-old substation at Laird’s Corner was estimated to be $120,000, including the cost of new wire, damaged parts and overtime for repair crews.
