Three Haughton residents have been arrested in connection with a string of copper thefts.

Bossier City police have arrested 32-year-old Christopher Glenn Harper, 31-year-old Tonya Marie Kinsey, and 33-year-old Michael Paul Wertman on multiple charges.

An off-duty Bossier police officer working security at the Microtel Inn and Suites on Village Lane saw the trio acting suspiciously around a welding truck in the parking lot and stopped them as they left the lot.  In their SUV, he found two spools of welding leads along with two wheel rims and tires.  Also in the SUV was a small amount of marijuana and Kinsey's 9-month-old daughter, who's now been placed in the custody of a relative.

An investigation has revealed that one of the spools of welding leads had been taken from the welding truck in the Microtel lot while the other came from a similar theft earlier in the night at another location.  The rims and tires were found to have been taken from a vehicle in the parking lot of the Comfort Suites Hotel on East Texas.

Detectives with the Property Crimes Unit have now been able to link the trio to at least six recent cases in Bossier City involving the theft of copper welding leads from welding trucks.  Detectives in other jurisdictions are also investigating to see if they can be linked to additional similar thefts in those jurisdictions.

Harper, Kinsey, and Wertman were booked into the Bossier City Jail on charges of theft, possessing marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia, and possessing a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor.  Harper also had an outstanding arrest warrant from Caddo Parish.

booking photo of Michael Wertman
Bossier City Police booking photo of Michael Wertman
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booking photo of Tonya Kinsey
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