The price of copper, at times, is death Some take the risk of electrocution

The victim is the third to die for copper that sells for about $2.55 per pound.

By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — A 50-year-old South Side man died 11 hours after being released from the county jail when his bolt cutters unleashed 23,000 volts of electricity into his body during a copper theft at an Ohio Edison substation.

James O. Leach, of East Auburndale Avenue, fell about 10 feet from a transformer at the Ohio Edison Oak Hill Avenue substation at 3:36 a.m. Thursday. The old brick substation is at the Carroll Street corner on the South Side.

Leach’s body was still smoldering when Ohio Edison crews arrived and the bolt cutters were stuck to his neck, police said.

Rick Jamrozik, a Mahoning County coroner’s investigator, said Leach had a walkie-talkie with him, leading investigators to believe he had an accomplice. Jamrozik said he placed the time of death at 3:36 a.m. to coincide with the time of the outage.

Paul Harkey, Ohio Edison spokesman, said the outage affected 1,571 customers in the Youngstown-Boardman area. A circuit breaker that tripped caused the outage. Power was restored at 3:43 a.m. He said transmission voltage at the substation is 23,000.

Jamrozik said crews at the scene noted that voltage used in some electric chairs is only 2,400 volts. The jolt Leach took set him on fire, the coroner’s investigator said.

Ohio Edison workers first to arrive at the substation found a large hole in the fence and a large piece of copper wire that had been cut.

Leach’s backpack was found nearby with an assortment of tools, including an 18-volt reciprocating saw and battery, socket set, leather gloves, pliers, saw blades, screw drivers and crescent wrench.

Earlier arrest

Leach and another man were arrested late Monday on Rush Boulevard after a break-in (the fence had been cut) at The Auto Shop on East Indianola. Police spotted them walking with tires on rims that had been taken off a 1992 Cadillac.

Leach’s bond on charges of breaking and entering and possession of criminal tools was set at $6,000. He didn’t post the bond and remained in the Mahoning County Jail.

Using an emergency release plan that controls inmate population, the jail released Leach at 4:38 p.m. Wednesday — roughly 11 hours before he was electrocuted.

His wife, Anne C. Leach, 51, showed up at the substation not long after the electrocution, telling police someone notified her at home. She was arrested on outstanding Austintown warrants and taken to jail.

Court records show the warrants were issued in May 2006 and her address at the time was North Beverly Avenue in Austintown.

Leach is the third man to be electrocuted to death in the Mahoning Valley in the past 15 months. Two men were killed by high voltage in June 2006 — one at Cold Metal Products in Campbell and one at NRR Properties in Warren Township.

Locally, scrap yards are paying $2.35 to $2.55 per pound for copper, slightly more than last year.

Last September, the increase in copper thefts led council to pass an “unauthorized removal” ordinance that targets those who take valuables from structures without permission.

What made difference

Patrolman Dave Santangelo is assigned to investigate the theft of salable items such as aluminum siding and copper.

After the legislation was enacted, Santangelo said scrap yards began working with him to track down those who attempt to sell stolen metals. He said buys went down in the city when the yards began asking for identification.

Last October, The Vindicator interviewed landlord Gary Crim, who has more than 700 properties in the city and pays tipsters who report break-ins. He offered high praise for Santangelo’s efforts.

Before Santangelo, it was simple for thieves to sell items at scrap yards, Crim said last October. Scrap buyers asked no questions and didn’t require ID, he said.

Crim said copper thefts (pipes and wiring), mostly at his vacant structures, exploded in 2006, with scrap yards paying $2 or more per pound. He said the thieves likely collected $150 to $200 for the copper but it costs him thousands to repair the damage caused by holes knocked in walls to reach the pipes or wires.

meade@vindy.com