Authorities have apprehended a registered sex offender accused of cutting utility lines in the Seattle metro area to sell scrap copper.
Connor Jon Lacktorin, 32, of Renton, has been accused in charging documents of causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage to utility companies Comcast and Lumen. Lacktorin allegedly cut several utility lines in Renton and Bellevue, Washington, and then resold the scrap copper to a business in Tacoma, a large city just south of Seattle, per KOMO. He faces 10 felony charges related to the investigation.
Bellevue PD first responded to reports of fiber optic cables being cut on Coal Creek Parkway in the fall of 2024. A second theft occurred days later.
In December 2024, Renton PD investigated a similar theft on 160th Ave SE, which caused a major power outage. A utility worker captured the license plate of a black Toyota SUV fleeing the area after the utility lines were cut.
Investigators ran the plate and identified Lacktorin as the alleged driver. He has previous convictions for arson and sex crimes.
Lacktorin was arrested by Bellevue police in January for shoplifting at a Home Depot. Officers said his truck was full of utility wires and burglary tools. During an interview, Lacktorn allegedly admitted to the crime, telling police officers that he had permission to gather "scrap wire" from the ground. The defendant also alleged he had a meth and fentanyl addiction.
A receipt was discovered in Lacktorin's truck that showed he had been paid $300 for 90 pounds of copper wire from Calbag Metals in Tacoma. Additionally, the business told detectives that Lacktorin had made five transactions between September and October 2024, receiving $2,776 for 766 pounds of copper, according to Komo News.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed nine felony charges in June related to the wire theft and an additional felony charge for failing to register as a sex offender.