Tesla drivers stopping for a charge at one California location might have encountered a rather important piece of equipment missing. Yuba City police say thieves targeted the same charging station twice in less than a week, cutting and stealing a total of 13 charging cords containing insulated copper.
The most recent theft was reported on September 4 at the Tesla charging station at New Earth on Tharp Road. Officers learned that nine charging cords had been cut and removed, with police estimating each one was worth approximately $400.
That put the estimated loss from the September 4 theft alone at $3,600, but officers soon learned the charging station had already been targeted days earlier. Police say another four cords were cut and stolen from the same location on August 31.
Officers eventually identified a Subaru Outback after reviewing surveillance footage showing two hooded suspects in the area before they got into the vehicle. Police say surveillance footage and Flock Safety cameras helped them identify and eventually locate the Subaru at a Yuba City residence.
Police Stop Subaru and Find a Large Amount of Stripped Copper
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After identifying the vehicle, officers subsequently conducted a traffic stop on the Subaru. Police say they discovered a large amount of stripped copper inside, providing officers with evidence they say connected the suspects to the charging-station thefts.
The investigation led to the arrests of 54-year-old Krystal Lynne Hardaway, 51-year-old Jason Jay Anderson, and 32-year-old Erik Brandon Robert Acord, all of Yuba City. Sutter County custody records show all three were booked into the county jail on September 5, one day after police received the report concerning the nine stolen charging cords.
Police said the three face charges related to grand theft, theft with prior theft convictions, vandalism causing at least $400 in damage, and conspiracy to commit a crime. The department did not specify in its announcement which individual charges were filed against each of the three suspects.
Two Suspects Remain in Jail While One Bonds Out
Sutter County custody records provide some additional detail about what happened following the arrests. Acord was booked at approximately 2:21 p.m. on September 5, while Anderson was booked one minute earlier at 2:20 p.m.
As of their respective custody status updates, both men remained in custody at the Sutter County Jail. Anderson was listed as still in custody as of September 8, while Acord’s record showed him remaining there as of September 10.
Hardaway was booked shortly afterward at approximately 2:36 p.m. on September 5, but her stay was considerably shorter. Her custody record states that she bonded out later that same day, with her status changing to out of custody at approximately 9:11 p.m.
Neither of the three had any booking photos available for reference.
Tesla Charging Cords Become the Target for Their Copper
According to police, each stolen Tesla charging cord contained multiple lines of insulated copper. Investigators did not provide an estimated value for the copper itself or say what they believe the suspects intended to do with the material after it was stripped from the cords.
The department credited surveillance technology with helping officers follow the investigation from the charging station to the Subaru. Surveillance footage first provided investigators with a description of the suspects and vehicle, while Flock Safety cameras were then used to help identify the Subaru.
By the time officers stopped the vehicle, police say they had gone from nine missing Tesla charging cords to a Subaru containing a large amount of stripped copper and three arrests. The September 4 theft followed four cords disappearing from the exact same charging station just four days earlier.