16 City Employees Nabbed for Stealing City's Copper

HPD

Arthur Samuel, city employee and alleged copper thief

Seven have been arrested so far, HPD says.

Investigators got a tip that the workers were selling copper to Latino's Scrap Yard in the 300 block of East Mount Houston. They set up surveillance and saw a City of Houston truck pull up with two employees who unloaded "several pounds of copper and brass from the truck for the purpose of selling it to the scrap yard."

Material was taken from at least four city sites since January, investigators say.

The names, from HPD:

The following seven suspects are in custody and charged with felony theft by a public servant: Charles Bernard Davis (b/m, DOB: 10-12-58), Braulio Arroyo (H/m, DOB: 8-29-46), Frank Jerome Johnson (b/m, DOB: 2-12-79), Raymond Esparza (H/m, DOB: 10-28-51), Quincy Jones (b/m, DOB: 10-11-72) Bobby Earl Price (b/m, DOB: 4-22-86) and Arthur Samuel (b/m, DOB: 5-5-68).

Two other suspects, Terry Whiting (b/m, DOB: 12-20-65) and Robert Fitzgerald White (b/m, DOB: 8-19-68) are charged with felony theft by a public servant and have turned themselves in and posted bond. Two additional suspects, Seferino Rios (H/m, DOB: 4-23-67) and Stephen Segundo (H/m, DOB: 10-28-69). are also charged with felony theft by a public servant and remain at large, but are expected to turn themselves in.