2 Louisiana men charged with plant copper theft

Published 6:52 pm Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Two Louisiana men are charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing copper on multiple occasions from the closed Oreck Corp. plant in Long Beach.

Police say 38-year-old James Alvin Miller of Westwego, La., and 31-year-old Trent Michael Plaisance of Marrero, La., stole copper from the plant three times in less than a month.

Police say after their third trip, the men had gathered about $11,000 worth of copper wire. When they decided to come back again, authorities say they were being watched.

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Investigators say the men pulled the copper wire out of the ground near a high-powered generator, risking their lives.

Miller and Plaisance are charged with three counts each of grand larceny, one count each of attempted grand larceny and possession of methamphetamine.