Man Accused of Stealing $1,700 in Copper Wire, Tools From Murrieta Construction Site

A man is suspected of burglarizing a Murrieta construction site and fleeing with some copper wire and power tools, police said Tuesday.

According to Murrieta Police Lt. Tony Conrad, the theft happened on the morning of May 22, at a construction site at the Los Alamos freeway ramp to I-215.
 
"The foreman on site interrupted the crime in progress and the suspects fled south on I-215," Conrad said.

Before the suspects got away, though, the man managed to get the license plate number for police.

"Based on the information provided by the foreman and confirmation of the suspect vehicle at a location in Riverside, a search warrant was drafted by detectives," according to Conrad.

One man was arrested when police served the warrant later that day "... and several spools of copper wire were recovered, including the spool taken in Murrieta," Conrad said.  The stolen tools were not found.

25-year-old David Charles Frederick was booked into the Southwest jail on burglary charges, and posted $5,000 bail the same day, according to inmate records.

The second suspect is still sought, but no description is available. Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to call Detective Sergeant Phil Gomez at 951.461.6356.