Apr 3, 2008 12:37 pm US/Eastern
Men Charged With Stealing "Heavy Metal"
PLANTATION (CBS4) ―
Addicted to heavy metal, two South Florida men are facing a number of charges for stealing fire department meters.
31-year old Brian Williams and 49-year old Kevin Durkin are accused of stealing a number of these devices; the meters attach to pipes that control sprinkler backflow in fire suppression systems commonly found in high rise buildings and businesses.
Fire officials said Williams and Durkin were putting hundreds of people at risk because if a fire were to break out, the sprinkler system would malfunction without the meter.
"One, it can impact the amount of pressure that is delivered to the system which can cause the sprinklers to not deliver the proper amount of water flow, or in some cases, maybe not activate at all," said Plantation Fire Battalion Chief Joel Gordon.
A security surveillance video tape tipped State Fire Marshal investigators to who was stealing the meters. On one tape, Williams was caught in the act stealing several valuable meters and metal connections off pipes outside a Target store in Plantation in just a matter of minutes.
After his arrest, Williams reportedly confessed to stealing up to 30 meters a day. He reportedly told investigators he would take them to a metal scrap yard where he could sell them for $10 apiece.
Investigators said Williams, who used to work in the fire industry, would often wear an old uniform and pretend to be a fire equipment employee while committing the thefts.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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