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Couple Accused Of Stealing Copper To Pay For Wedding

NEW SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – A Beaver County couple allegedly stole more than $7,000 worth of copper to pay for their wedding.

"It was a state of panic – it was a dumb decision," Joseph Russell told KDKA-TV. "I obviously know that."

He said he talked his fiancée, 24-year-old April Cater into stealing the wire to help pay for their August 13 wedding.

His mother-in-law had lost $1,000 on a reception hall that went out of business.

"I lost my job a couple weeks before that and I didn't know exactly what to do," Russell explained.

The couple is accused of removing copper wire from 18 Penn Power utility poles throughout New Sewickley Township.

Repairing each pole cost nearly $400.

The couple's Dodge Dakota pickup was spotted by a surveillance camera at Allegheny Raw Materials where they sold the copper for $18.

"I'm very unhappy with myself, I'm very disappointed with myself that I made that decision," Russell said. "And I know it wasn't right for me and my family."

Russell and Cater have a 3-year-old son.

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