Man Facing 61 Counts Related to Copper Theft

A Skipper Road man is facing 61 charges related to the alleged theft of copper parts from air-conditioning units, authorities said.

Joshua Damien Poe, 25, of 1701 Skipper Road, Unit 44B, was arrested Thursday by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office following a two-and-half-week joint investigation with the Special Investigation Division's Tactical Intelligence Unit.

Authorities say Poe, who was reportedly unemployed and just trying to pay his bills, took apart air-conditioning units and removed the internal parts for copper scrapping. Afterward, he exchanged the stolen property for cash at recycling centers.

"The combined loss for the 23 victims/businesses is estimated at over $500,000," authorities said in a news release.

But the investigation is not over. Authorities said Poe admitted that in total he may have caused about $1 million in damage.

So far, Poe is facing 23 counts of grand theft, 24 counts of criminal mischief of more than $1,000, seven counts of dealing in stolen property and seven counts of false information on secondary metal recycling.