How the Grinch Stole Copper

Virginia copper bandits are stealing West Virginia's Christmas.

Vandals have stolen the main electric lines from Bluefield, W.Va.'s Holiday of Lights display.  The lines contains enough copper that risking being caught, risking safety, and risking being an all-around jerk isn't enough of a deterrent for the money they can make selling the metal.

It isn't just that they stole the copper wire once.  Or twice.  Or three times.  Heck, not even five times.  The copper bandits have taken the lines "eight or nine or 10 times" according to the Bluefield City Manager.

He told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph:

"We were hoping that the people doing this would conjure up some Christmas spirit and say ‘We’re not going to do this any more,’ but that’s evidently not the case. The point is that we’re after them now."

The 11th time's the charm, apparently.

The city police are increasing patrols at the park.  They don't have any suspects in mind, except for those evil Virginians.  Officials believe the burglars are riding into the park on ATVs from Virginia, bypassing gates on the West Virginia side.

It seems like it would be easy enough to find the burglar, what with his green hue, his Santa coat, his lack of pants, and the overloaded dog sled, carried by a cute little puppy he's constantly whipping.