A Denton County man was badly burned Sunday while trying to steal copper from electrical lines strung on power poles that he evidently brought to the ground by setting them afire earlier in the day, a sheriff's spokesman said.
James Triton Johnson, 24, of Aubrey was in fair condition Monday evening at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, a spokeswoman said.He faces jail time when he gets out of the hospital, said Sgt. Larry Kish, a spokesman for the Denton County Sheriff's Department.Possible felony charges include criminal mischief, arson and theft of metals, Kish said.Sheriff's deputies were called at 6:20 p.m. Sunday to the 1600 block of Harmon Road, north of Aubrey. The property is about 200 yards down the road from Johnson's home address on Harmon Road.Deputies found the burned man and two smoldering power poles and downed lines.Johnson was flown to Parkland by helicopter ambulance, where he was questioned by deputies, Kish said."He went to cut a wire and quickly learned it was a hot wire," Kish said.Evidently, he thought he could bring the wires to his level by toppling the poles by burning them rather than by climbing them.It took awhile for fire to burn through the poles, he said."He had been at this process for quite some time, possibly four to five hours or more," Kish said.Metal thieves go through "tremendous" efforts to extract copper from power lines, but they usually don't find very much, he said. Many risk falling from power lines or gruesome deaths by electrocution."The return is very minimal," Kish said, "This man is very fortunate to be alive."Since 2009, Johnson has been arrested for driving while intoxicated, criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance, according to Denton County Jail records.Copper thefts are a community hazard, said Arielle Kaplan, spokeswoman for Oncor Electric Delivery.Copper provides the protective "ground" in power lines. Once that's gone, utility repair crews' jobs become even more dangerous.Bill Miller, 817-390-7684Twitter: @Bill_MillerSTHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
