Tougher penalties for copper wire theft passed by Nevada legislature

Yahoo

08-06-2025

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It was a unanimous vote by the Nevada Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 503, which would increase penalties for copper wire theft.
District E, County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, is a big proponent of the bill. Segerblom is taking steps to stop these thieves and get the lights turned back on for valley residents.
'I'm just so proud of the legislature for stepping up and hopefully the Governor signs it,' Segerblom said.
He, along with others, implemented a Copper Wire Task Force last year to be more on top of the issue, and since then, he said he has seen improvements.
'We get daily complaints, but there have been less. I'm not sure if it's because we are more proactive, but we've started putting wire back in with aluminum and we also have solar lights which are good,' Segerblom said.
Those caught with less than $500 worth of copper could face a misdemeanor, and anything above that would be considered a felony with up to four years in prison.
Over at Broadway Pizza off Rancho and Charleston, Co-owner Mario Perdichizzi said this bill hits close to home. His business was targeted last year after copper wire thieves ripped through his A/C unit. He said it is about time something was done.
'It feels great because they should pay the penalty for stealing it and there also needs to be a penalty for stolen goods,' Perdichizzi said 'We put a camera up on the roof and we want to put a cage over the unit itself. We put lights by the unit and one in the back alley, too.'
The next step is for Governor Lombardo to sign this bill into law. Once that is done, the new penalties will go into effect on October 1.
Clark County's public works department estimates that nearly 1 million feet of streetlight wiring have been stolen since 2022. In Clark County, sellers must provide documentation that verifies that the wire was not stolen. It's also illegal for businesses to purchase scrap metal from walk-up sellers and accept cash payments for copper wire.
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