Deputies say Thermal man had $40,000 worth of stolen copper wire

A Thermal man has been arrested after Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies say he was in possession of 950 pounds of stolen copper wire and for operating as a junk dealer without a license.

59-year-old Domingo Lupes of Thermal was arrested around 3:30 Friday afternoon, after deputies served a search warrant on the 84 thousand block of Avenue 55 in Thermal.

We are told detectives had been investigating copper wire theft in the unincorporated community of Thermal, which led them to Lupes.

The sheriff’s department says the stolen wire is worth at least $40,000.

The wire has been confiscated and deputies continue to investigate metal theft in the area.

Anyone with information in this case, or other suspected cases of metal theft, is urged to call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at (760) 863-8990.