It was late at night, May 23, 2014.
Someone broke into a house on Durango, and began systematically destroying the vacant house being prepared for rental.
Kitchen cabinets and countertops were pulled from the wall. The sink itself with faucet and the faucets to a clothes washer and to a tub in a bathroom were stolen. Walls were torn apart in three rooms for copper pipes and wires, and they too were stolen.
Yanked from the furnace was an AC coil and the appliance's AC copper line was ripped from the wall. Both were stolen.
In the master bathroom, the toilet and vanity were ripped out.
The total value of items taken: $2,658. The total value of damage done to the house: $10,459.
Unfortunately, the scene of destruction in the aftermath of this crime was all too typical. It's why the program called Copperstoppers was established.
Fortunately, latent finger prints were found at the scene of this particular crime and the thief was identified. Anthony Bobo was arrested and admitted his guilt to investigators.
Fast-forward one year.
On May 19, 2015, Bobo pleaded guilty in Shelby County Criminal Court - Division 2 to one count of aggravated burglary, one count of vandalism and one count of theft of property between $1,000 and $10,000. All three are felonies.
Bobo received a suspended sentence of four years for each of the offenses and placed on probation. The sentences are concurrent and the terms of his probation are to maintain employment, pay $9,000 in restitution at a rate of $200 per month, submit to and pass random drug screens, and adhere to an 8 p.m. curfew until May, 2016.
