(COLDWATER) - Police are searching for a suspect accused of stealing nearly $100,000 worth of copper from a Coldwater business over the weekend.
Investigators say the theft happened late Saturday night into early Sunday morning at American Copper and Brass, where copper coils and scrap metal were taken.
Surveillance video shows an unidentified Black male using a forklift from the business to load the materials onto a stolen U-Haul trailer. The trailer was being pulled by a gray SUV similar to a Ford Expedition.
Authorities say the trailer itself had been stolen earlier from The Storage Bin, where new footage shows the suspect before the break-in.
Police have alerted regional scrap yards have been alerted, but rising copper prices -- now around six dollars per pound -- make stolen material difficult to trace once it's melted down.
Police are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with tips is asked to contact the Coldwater Police Department at 517-278-4525.