Metro Transit Police (MTPD) today arrested James J. Mulcahey III of Mechanicsville, Md., for felony theft of copper wire from Metro facilities in Maryland.
In a multi-month investigation, Transit Police detectives found evidence that Mulcahey removed copper wire from Metro-owned locations in Maryland, including Greenbelt Rail Yard, on multiple occasions between June and November.
Mulcahey would then transport the copper to a company in Charles County and sell it for cash. Transit Police officers and detectives arrested Mulcahey without incident this afternoon in Charles County following one such copper-for-cash transaction.
"We will continue to send a message to those who attempt to defraud the region's taxpayers that such activity will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said MTPD Chief Ronald Pavlik. "I want to commend the Transit Police Criminal Investigations Division for today's arrest."
The exact value of the theft has not yet been determined by investigators, but is believed to exceed $10,000. Additional details regarding the case are being withheld due to the active nature of the investigation.
Mulcahey worked for a company that provided electrical contractor services to Metro.
