Florida man accused of stealing ton of copper from his workplace

Raymond Clifton faces charges of dealing in stolen property

Raymond Clifton.

DeLAND, Fla. – A Volusia County man was arrested on suspicion of stealing nearly a ton of copper from his place of employment and selling it a local scrap yard.

Raymond Clifton, 31, of DeLeon Springs was arrested Thursday on charges of dealing in stolen property.

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According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, Clifton came under suspicion because of the massive amounts of copper that he sold to a DeLand scrap yard. The transactions -- 17 in total -- ranged from 55 pounds of copper to nearly 300 pounds, deputies said.

Workers at the scrap yard also thought it was odd when Clifton mentioned a recent news story about someone who had been arrested for selling stolen copper and then asked if the crime was a misdemeanor or felony offense, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said Clifton sold 1,911 pounds of copper over a two-month period that netted him nearly $5,300.

When Sheriff's investigators were tipped off to the suspicious sales, they worked with the Longwood Police Department to reach out to the electrical business in Longwood where Clifton worked and discovered that large quantities of their copper stockpile were missing.

The business owner also told investigators that Clifton was an unreliable employee who had a pill problem, according to deputies.

Clifton was booked into the Volusia County Jail on $10,000 bond.


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