Two Angels Camp Men Suspected Of Copper Wire Theft

Amador County, CA – After finding coils of copper wire inside their vehicle, two Angels Camp men were arrested and later were also accused of breaking into an Amador County water agency, bringing more charges.

A suspicious vehicle caught the eye of Amador County Sheriff’s deputies while patrolling the New York Ranch Road and Ridge Road area, northeast of Jackson, on Saturday (10/19/2024) around 4 a.m. As they looked inside the vehicle, there were no occupants, but they saw a large amount of what appeared to be stolen copper wire and power tools in the vehicle. Nearby, they found two adult men, John Evans and John McBride, and detained them.

Around 10:30 a.m. that same morning, employees at the Amador Water Agency near Sutter Creek reported a break-in and a large amount of copper wire and power tools had been stolen. Security footage caught the same vehicle at the crime scene. Additionally, footprints at the agency theft scene matched one of the men, which one was not identified, tying him to the break-in.

Both men were arrested for multiple felonies, including grand theft, vandalism and possession of stolen property.