Mar-Mac PD investigating wire thefts
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The Mar-Mac Police Department is investigating the theft of wiring in and around McGregor.
Mar-Mac Police Chief Robert Millin, speaking at the April 20 McGregor city council meeting, said wiring and other personal effects were taken from a houseboat in storage along Klein Brewery Road, just outside city limits. At Nauti Marina in McGregor, wiring from the docks was cut and removed.
“From our bar all the way down to where our houseboat dock is. Everything in between was stolen,” reported Nauti Marina owner Dylan Borglum. He and fellow owner Shannon Alber estimated replacement costs to be tens of thousands of dollars.
“The problem with the supply and demand issues is copper is up to like $5 a pound right now. It hasn’t been this high in four, five, six years,” said Millin.
The marina owners stated any footage of the area they have goes back only a month and half, and that the incident pre-dated that.
“That’s also what we’re thinking happened on Klein Brewery,” said Millin, who acknowledged that a dumpster was also taken from a separate property on Klein Brewery Road, in an incident being investigated by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
“We followed up with a couple leads. But as of right now, we’re kind of at a standstill,” Millin said.
Although the wiring from the marina would be distinct, the police chief said Iowa Code only requires people to show proof of identification when they scrap material. They’re not required to show what’s being scrapped.
“With your copper wiring thefts, a lot of times what they’ll do is throw it in a fire pit, burn off the rubber and roll it up into a ball, or they’ll throw it in with a bunch of other scrap metal too,” Millin explained.
According to Millin, no similar thefts have been reported in the area since these incidents occurred. Clayton County Sheriff Mike Tschirgi concurred.
“We have not had many scrap thefts right now, but I do know the price is up. The only advice I can give is to have cameras on your items or a hidden deer camera,” Tschirgi said.
Millin agreed, adding, “Don’t leave your valuables out and lock your property. Use security and solar lights. These cases are a little different because the boat was in storage and then obviously the docks were on the riverfront, but it’s pretty dark down there and harder to see from the roadway.”
At the council meeting, the Nauti Marina owners asked for the city’s permission to place cameras in Riverfront Park. Officials said the decision would be up to the dock commission but did not see an issue with the request.