Posted on 05/08/2013 10:10:30 PM PDT by Daffynition
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - One Fayette County man is dead after he and an accomplice tried to steal copper wire by shooting down high-tension power lines with a rifle, authorities said.
Fayette deputies and rangers from the National Parks Service found the man's body tangled up in downed lines Wednesday morning in the Beury Mountain Wildlife Management Area near Thurmond. The apparent cause of death was electrocution.
The remote area where the body was discovered is near Babcock State Park.
Emergency dispatchers sent officers to the area after a 911 call.
The man's name has not been released, according to a statement from the sheriff's department.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
Darwin Award!
I have not seen a picture of old “Ready Kilowatt” in a long, long time. It was the motto of Central Power & Light company here in South Texas for a long time many years ago.
However, I’m happy that old “Ready Kilowatt” is still active removing Darwin award winners from the gene pool.
You’ll never take me alive, copper!
I believe that was taken from the movie “White Heat”, how appropriate.
At least this particular moron won’t be tearing up somebody’s air conditioner in the middle of the night. I hate copper thieves. He got what he deserved.
From when I took a power system course as an undergraduate, I recall that really high power cables are mixtures of aluminum and steel strands. The steel for strength, the aluminum for conductivity. They are also hollow or paper filled inside, because of “skin effect” tends to concentrate alternating current on the surface of a conductor. At 60 Hz the skin depth of copper is only about 0.21 inches. For a solid conductor copper cable, as the diameter increases much beyond 0.5”, resistance decreases linearly with diameter, not as the square. The material on the inside of the cable does little to increase conductivity, so why pay for it?
It always amazes me how much work these knuckleheads do to steal copper - they'd get just as much money doing 1/2 the work at Kmart..........
If anyone has seen a downed high tension line, they know it is not something to mess with.
Geez....maybe meth heads have trouble holding/getting a job.
For what other reason, could anyone be so desperate?
bump
The police will have to charge one of them. The other is already charged.
He broke the law using a gun as a tool in this crime and paid with his life. He provided an excellent example of “death by stupidity” and “crime doesn’t pay” but I don’t see how it gives anyone a bad name other than himself.
I love stories with happy endings!
“But he certainly had a lot of potential.”
Ohm my god! That was bad.
Copperheads stole a pair or 100’ welding cables from my job, maybe 30 actual pounds of copper wire, all the weight is actually in the heavy insulation, so they get around $100 for the copper and it costs me $1600 to buy new cables.
Copper just went up a bit, I hear aluminum is actually climbing faster.
I thought the same thing. I guess you could shoot one down to check and see.
Watt-aya mean by that?
My guess is that he was learning how to meditate.
Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Ohm my God! Watt was he thinking?
Fortunately, sometimes stupidity hertz.
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