FAWN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Police in West Deer and Fawn Townships are trying to find the people responsible for breaking into homes and stealing copper piping in recent weeks.

West Deer Police Chief Jon Lape says they’ve had nine copper thefts in the past month and a half. Fawn Police Chief Tim Mayberry says two homes and a business hit have been hit there.

Homes with “for sale” signs have been prime targets. Chief Mayberry says thieves assume that no one is home if the house is for sale or that no one is watching it.

Some of the copper thefts have happened in the middle of the day.

One woman who doesn’t want to be identified had thieves break into her mom’s former home which she’s trying to sell.

She said someone broke a window and crawled through to get to copper piping within the home.

Police are hoping some attention to the problem will warn people and bring about clues that could crack the case.

Chief Mayberry suspects that drug addicts are behind the thefts and that they sell the copper for scrap to pay for drugs.

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