2 men admit to theft of manhole covers

LOWELL, Ind. -- A quick-acting town employee, who called a scrap yard immediately after 9,000 pounds of manhole covers were discovered missing, helped police apprehend two suspects.\nFrank Lovely, the Lowell Street Department superintendent, called police early on Jan. 19 after other workers informed him that someone had made off with the department's manhole covers.\nLovely, "jumped on it" by calling area scrap yards to alert them of the theft, said Lowell Town Council President Phillip Kuiper.\nThat resulted in a call from a worker at Porter County Scrap and Iron, north of Hebron, Ind., who reported that two young men were offering manhole covers as scrap.\nLowell Sgt. Todd Angerman beat Porter County officers to the scrap yard and spoke to a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old juvenile. Angerman said both young men confessed to the theft.\nHe said the pair must have worked hard to load the heavy covers, which likely would have netted them less than $400 at a scrap yard, even though the covers' actual value is $6,000.\nLowell Police Chief John Shelhart said high scrap metal prices have fueled metal thefts nationwide. In some cities, he said manhole covers have been stolen right off the streets.\nKuiper said town officials were so happy with the cooperation of Porter County Scrap and Iron that they sent them a thank you.\n"We bought pizzas and had them sent over," he said.