Detectives with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office have arrested two people accused of stealing thousands of pounds of copper wire from AT&T, a theft that authorities say caused more than $300,000 in financial losses to the affected business.
Sheriff Jason Ard said his detectives had been investigating a string of wire thefts in the parish for some time. That investigation eventually led them to a home on Brown Pelican Road and a business in Hammond, where search warrants turned up roughly 3,400 pounds of stripped and burned AT&T copper wire.
While the copper itself carried a street value of about $18,000, the damage done to AT&T’s infrastructure in order to steal it is what drove the financial loss into the hundreds of thousands.
How the investigation came together
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives were able to connect the recovered wire to five separate theft cases already under investigation in Livingston Parish.
Investigators say there could be additional cases tied to the same suspects in other jurisdictions as well, and that part of the inquiry is still ongoing.
The search in Hammond was carried out with help from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies assisted LPSO detectives in executing the warrant there. Sheriff Ard specifically thanked the agency for its cooperation, calling out the partnership between the two departments as key to breaking the case.
Suspects facing multiple charges
Booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center were Todd Pearce, 42, and Ashley Landry, 41. Both face a lengthy list of charges, including five counts of theft and five counts of criminal damage to critical infrastructure. The critical infrastructure charge reflects the seriousness with which Louisiana law treats damage to utility systems like AT&T’s copper lines, since cutting or stripping active wire can knock out service for entire communities and put repair crews at risk.
The sheriff’s office noted that more charges are possible for both suspects as the investigation continues and that authorities in other jurisdictions may also pursue charges tied to the same wire theft operation.
Anyone wanting to check the custody status of either suspect can use the LPSO mobile app and its “Who’s in Jail?” feature, which the department regularly points residents to for updates on local arrests.
Copper wire theft has become a persistent problem for utility companies across the country, driven largely by fluctuating scrap metal prices. Thefts like this one not only cost companies money in stolen materials but often result in far greater repair and replacement expenses, along with service disruptions for customers in the surrounding area.
The investigation remains active, and LPSO says updates will follow as more information becomes available.
