Copper Pipes Stolen from House Undergoing Renovation

About 80 feet of copper pipes worth about $800 was stolen recently from a Tokeneke Trail house undergoing a major renovation.

The general contractor for the project reported the theft to Darien police on Saturday, March 22, after a plumber notified him that the pipes weren't supposed to be missing.

The ventilation pipes -- 1.5-inches in diameter and some of them running all the way from the basement to the attic -- had been cut out of the walls. Another ventilation pipe had been cut flush with the floor, probably by a power tool, and removed.

Two weeks before, it was noticed that the pipes had been removed, and it had been assumed that the removal was done accidentally by a worker during demolition work. Various subcontractors have been working on the project.

During the demolition work, the building was less secure, and that may have been when the pipes were taken, police were told. Since then, the building has been made more secure.

The house is located in the area of 1 to 100 Tokeneke Trail.

This is only the latest example in a long line of copper thefts. Last week, for example, police reported the arrests of men and boys in a UHaul truck with stolen wallets from Darien and a roll of copper wire.