Crooks Crimp Coils in Copper Capers

Copper crooks have hit Oak Lawn, heisting copper from local residents' air conditioners, reports said.

Three copper thefts were reported to Oak Lawn police between Aug. 2 and Aug. 7.

The first incident was reported on Aug. 3 in the 4700 block of West 105th Place. A resident discovered that someone crimped and cut the copper line in her air conditioner around 12:38 a.m., causing Freon gas to leak out of the line, police said.

On Aug. 7, an employee from a property management company reported copper being cut from the water heater and central air-conditioning unit in a vacant condominium unit sometime before 8:36 a.m.

Several hours later, police responded to a delayed theft. in the 9200 block of South Kenton Avenue.

A 55-year-old man said he and his wife were at work all day. When he returned home around 6:18 p.m., he noticed that temperature inside his condo was 80 degrees.

He looked outside at his air-conditioning unit and noticed that someone had stolen the copper piping, police said.