Lancaster County, Neb., sheriff’s deputies arrested a truck driver on Wednesday, Oct. 7, after a traffic stop on westbound Interstate 80 near Lincoln turned up 11 pallets of copper wire that the shipper says were stolen, according to KOLN/10/11 News. The sheriff’s office said the driver could not produce a bill of lading or registration, carried identification that did not appear to belong to him and had two more IDs in other names in the truck. The 22-year-old driver was charged with criminal impersonation and theft by unlawful taking over $5,000. The charges are allegations.
Imperial Metal Group, which valued the load at $250,000, told the station the copper was stolen because it was not in the possession of the correct carrier, and said it was the company’s fourth precious-metals loss this year. A bill of lading showed a Chicago pickup bound for Lakeside Auto Recyclers, which confirmed the load never arrived; deputies said the truck was off route. Investigators have not publicly described how the load was obtained, but the shipper’s account points to freight released to someone other than the assigned carrier, a hallmark of fictitious pickup schemes.
