DENVER -- The next time you drive by a light pole and wonder why it's dark, don't assume it's a power outage.

It could be copper thieves.

Copper wire has been removed from more than 26 street light poles throughout Colorado Springs, costing the utility company and its customers more than $600,000.

In several incidents, the suspects left live electrical wires exposed on the ground, where school children and pedestrians could come in contact with the wires, leading to severe injuries or possibly even death, Colorado Springs police said.

Just last week, Attorney General John Suthers said that copper theft has become a "significant problem" in Colorado.

Over the weekend, the Eagle County sheriff's deputies arrested 54-year-old James A. Bull, of Denver, after receiving a report of suspicious activity near the the Eagle County Regional Airport in Gypsum.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene to find Bull and two other men pulling copper wire from the utility poles, coiling it on spools, and placing it in a truck.

Bull told deputies he was under contract for the next two months to gather all the wire and poles in the area, including west in the Glenwood Canyon. The wires and poles were on land belonging to the Union Pacific Railroad.

To verify Bull's story, a deputy called the Union Pacific Railroad and determined the story was false. Bull was arrested and transported to the Eagle County Detention Facility, where he was held on $7,500 bond.

The 306 pounds of copper wire recovered from the men had a street value of approximately $1,000.

Bull will be charged with felony theft. The two men working with Bull were Colorado Springs men who had been recruited by Bull, deputies said. They were not suspected of criminal activity, nor were they charged or arrested.

Because of these thefts, roadways and several major intersections have been made less safe for drivers and pedestrians because of the lack of lighting.

The Colorado Springs Utility poles won't be fixed anytime soon. The utility has to order new copper wire, wait for it to be delivered and then wait for available crews to re-install the copper wires, Colorado Springs police said.

Because of the backlog of work, the utility company has had to hire contractors to help install replacement wiring. It has also bought new, tamper-resistant bolts to secure the bases of the light poles.

In many of the thefts, it appears that suspects pull up to light poles in some type of work truck and remove the copper wire.

The only authorized vehicles to be working on light poles are clearly marked Colorado Springs Utilities vehicles or Hamblin Electric vehicles. If anyone sees people working around or near light poles, and it is not obvious that they work for Colorado Springs Utilities or Hamblin Electric, call Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000.

Additional Resources:

When a section of street lights, three or more in a row, are no longer functioning, call the Colorado Springs Utilities Call Center at 444-4800.