ActionNews17 posted on September 02, 2010 21:58
AMITE---Amite Police have arrested a New Orleans man who was found in possession of a roll of copper wire and burglar tools after a concerned citizen called in a report of a fire in the Cross Creek Subdivision early Tuesday morning.
Police Chief Jerry Trabona says authorities received a call at 3:48 a.m. Tuesday reporting a fire in the Cross Creek Subdivision. Police were dispatched to the scene and found a fire burning inside a metal drum at 408 Cross Creek Drive.
Amite firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and found that there was a roll of copper inside the metal drum.
Authorities quickly determined that someone had set the fire to burn the coating off the wire, making it easier to resell.
Trabona says the resident who lived at the address indicated she knew nothing about the fire or the copper wire. Officers were leaving the scene and found Eric Wiliams, who listed his address as 5788 Tullis Drive in New Orleans, walking in the street and carrying a duffle bag. Williams refused to move out of the path of the oncoming police unit and was stopped and questioned. Trabona said that Williams became beligerent and officers demanded to search the bag, which contained copper wire and burglar tools.
Trabona says Williams has not revealed where he found those items, but he was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and obstructing a street. Trabona says Williams remains in jail on the city charges at this time.