A Des Moines man is facing felony charges after investigators linked him to a significant copper theft at a business in Harvey.
According to court documents, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 8:04 a.m. on Friday, November 21, reporting that several items had gone missing from the Harvey Rock Quarry at 1488 Highway T25. When deputies arrived, they discovered that someone had cut through a gate to access the sand plant while it was closed. Roughly $20,000 worth of copper wire had been taken.
During their investigation, deputies were given a license plate number for a vehicle that had been acting suspiciously in the area earlier in the week. Officers also found a broken taillight near the scene, which matched the description of that same vehicle.
On Tuesday, November 25, detectives found the vehicle parked at a storage unit facility in Des Moines. While monitoring the area, they saw 31-year-old Eric Aldridge with the unit’s door open, revealing stacks of copper wire inside. Investigators say Aldridge also had a generator in his truck that was powering a machine used to strip insulation from copper wire. A search warrant was obtained, and the items believed to be involved in the theft were seized.
Aldridge has been charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony, and third-degree burglary, a Class D felony.
