Copper thieves stripped YMCA Adventure Camp of wire and pipe, causing an estimated $242,000 in losses, report shows

Thieves cut through a perimeter fence at the YMCA Adventure Camp and took copper wire and pipe from five transformers, seven electrical panels and several cabins, according to a Collin County report scheduled for the Commissioners Court on Monday.

The county's Asset Loss Report for September, prepared by Human Resources Director Cynthia Jacobson, says risk management learned of the break-in on Sept. 21. Early estimates put the stolen items at $63,865 and the property damage at $178,348, about $242,000 combined, though the report says departments are still reviewing the losses.

The report says the Sheriff's Office has identified the person responsible for the theft, and the county plans to seek repayment for the damage. It does not name anyone.

Cameras and a fence

In a separate case, Public Works reported on Sept. 24 that the fence and gate at Country Club and Stacy roads had been vandalized along with several Flock cameras. A quote for the fence and gate came in at $7,372.50, and the county is still waiting on an estimate for the cameras. The Sheriff's Office is working to find who did it.

Vehicle damage

The report lists nine incidents involving county vehicles and equipment in September, none with injuries. The costliest came on Sept. 9, when a Sheriff's Office vehicle slowing for traffic on US 75 was hit from behind and pushed into the vehicle ahead.

Repairs were estimated at $33,199.96, plus a $235 tow, and the bill has been sent to the county's third-party claims administrator to pursue from the other driver.

Other entries are smaller: a Public Works excavator's boom came close enough to an overhead power line on Sept. 1 to cause an arc flash, with no damage or outage reported; a deputy's transport vehicle clipped a concrete pole at the Tarrant County jail when its sally port door would not open, a $741 repair; and loose riprap punctured a Public Works truck's fuel tank.

Claims denied

The county denied two injury claims during the month: one from a motorcyclist thrown from her bike on an uneven stretch of US 75 in August, and one from a man who fell at a building in Plano that the county does not own. In both cases the report says the county was not liable.

It sent a $1,619.11 windshield claim to its claims administrator for processing; that claim came from a driver whose windshield was hit by a rock thrown from under a county mowing tractor.

The report is listed for presentation and discussion at the court's 1:30 p.m. meeting Monday, Oct. 19, at the Jack Hatchell Administration Building, 2300 Bloomdale Road in McKinney.

Sources

eagenda.collincountytx.gov

eagenda.collincountytx.gov