[StBernard] Arrest made in Chalmette copper thefts

[Westley Annis]

Arrest made in Chalmette copper thefts
Posted by St. Bernard bureau August 14, 2007 11:49AM
St. Bernard bureau 

An alleged copper thief who fled deputies in St. Bernard Parish Sunday --
abandoning his vehicle in the process -- later confessed to stealing copper
from seven Chalmette residences, authorities said. 


Steven P. Crappel, 25, of 3436 Rose Ave., Chalmette, fled Sunday evening
when deputies responded to a suspicious person report in the 8300 block of
Prince Drive. Deputies could not find Crappel, but impounded his vehicle,
which he had left in the driveway of a home in the area. 

The next day, reports said, Crappel called authorities and said he wanted to
talk about the incident. Later Monday, Crappel took detectives to seven
houses where he and two others allegedly stole copper and air conditioning
units. He said he and the others sold the copper at scrap yards and divided
the profits. 

Crappel was booked with two counts of theft over $500 and five counts of
burglary. The Chalmette houses he told detectives the thefts occured at were
8401 Patricia St., 3700 Evangeline St., 8316 Prince Drive, 60, 61 and 62
Queens Court and 8333 Benjamin St., the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office
said in a news release. 

The two others allegedly involved in the thefts were not identified by the
Sheriff's Office. The investigation continues and more arrests are expected.