3 locals suspected of strip mining

Three Costa Mesa residents arrested in Laguna Niguel on Monday are accused of participating in a new, area trend, urban strip mining, Costa Mesa Police said.

With the help of Orange County Sheriff’s deputies, police arrested Costa Mesa residents Jeffrey Scott Gibson, 50; Patrick Javier Nevarez, 40; and Teri Marie Hackett, 48. The three were arrested on counts of second-degree burglary, possession of stolen property, criminal conspiracy and grand theft, police said.

At 10:10 a.m. three people were discovered stripping the inside of an abandoned Yamaha dealership at 25891 Cabot Road in Laguna Niguel, police said. Authorities found bundles of copper wire and aluminum framing near the front door. The thieves had also torn out the drywall and began pulling out some of the piping, Costa Mesa Senior Officer Larry Fettis said.

Police have arrested seven strip-mining suspects since Feb. 18 in an investigation that began less than two months ago, Fettis said. The thieves typically scout vacant buildings and strip out all the pipes, wiring, even aluminum framing, Fettis said.

“Its easy to obtain if you know where to look, and it’s instant gratification,” Fettis said. “Sometimes … they can strip that night [and] get instant rewards the next day.”

Copper sells for between $2.50 and $3 a pound. One night can reap thousands of dollars in profit, Fettis said.

In a Feb. 24 Costa Mesa burglary at 1650 Monrovia Ave., where there are two abandoned industrial buildings, thieves stole an estimated $150,000 in materials, Fettis said. The metals stripped from an Irvine building on the 18th were worth $40,000 to $50,000, he said.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the Costa Mesa theft and one in the Irvine heist, Fettis said.

Police received help from officers in Newport Beach, Irvine and Laguna Niguel.

Gibson and Nevarez have prior misdemeanor drug convictions, according to Orange County prosecutors. Both were being held at Costa Mesa Jail on $20,000 bail, police said.

Hackett who has a 2004 conviction for theft and burglary was being held in Orange County Jail and was ineligible for bail, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s website.