2 charged with copper thefts that caused power outages

ONAWA, Iowa (AP) — Two people have been charged with stealing copper from electrical substations in northwest Iowa, which authorities say caused several power outages and thousands of dollars in damage. Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt said in a news release that 40-year-old Craig Keller, of Onawa, Iowa, and 30-year-old Whitney Reynek, of Tekamah, Nebraska, were arrested Monday. Monona County authorities received numerous calls on Saturday about fires at electrical substations in the western half of the county. Utility workers discovered someone had removed copper from grounding rods in the substations. Pratt estimated it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair the damage.