Police in Arkansas City say they have found the remains of two air conditioning units stolen from Sparks Music earlier this month. One arrest has been made in the case.
The two large units were taken from the store at 315 S. Summit on Aug. 14. It was an anonymous tip that eventually led to the arrest of John Newsome, of Ark City.
He faces charges of felony theft and felony criminal damage to property. His bond was set at $4,000.
Police tracked down Newsome after receiving a tip that first led them to Chris Carmody, another Ark City resident. The tipster told police that Carmody might know something about the incident.
After interviewing Carmody, police ended up at A to Z Recycling and Patterson Iron and Metal in Ark City where the copper from the air conditioners was sold.
Officers recovered 146 pounds of air conditioner coil from the units and documentation that Newsome sold scrap from the units to the two recycling businesses, according to a written report.
It appears the recycling businesses followed a recently passed state statute for purchasing scrap copper.
Carmody’s role in the thefts is unclear, according to Chief Sean Wallace. Information from the investigation has been sent to County Attorney Chris Smith. A decision on whether to charge Carmody will be left up to Smith, Wallace said.