FORT WAYNE – Fort Wayne thieves are continuing to swipe the city’s metal grates to sell them for scrap, according to court documents.
The morning of Jan. 27, a school bus driver reported seeing a man taking grates that protect trees at South Calhoun Street and Woodland Avenue. Police went to the intersection and found Kenneth K. Packer with the grates, which were broken, according to court records.
Packer, 37, of the 3400 block of McCormick Avenue, told police he intended to sell the grates for cash but added he did not know they were city property. A single grate costs about $1,000, court records said.
Packer, who was charged Thursday with theft, is not the first person to be suspected of stealing metal from the city.
A Fort Wayne man was accused of selling city stormwater drain grates for scrap in August. The man admitted taking four grates, each costing $107, from near the 400 and 500 blocks of East Suttenfield Street, according to court records.
In October, City Utilities reported a rash of thefts of sewer grates and manhole covers. The utility discovered 95 places where the grates and covers had gone missing since March. Police believed the bulky items, which are made of cast iron, were being broken down and mixed with other scrap metal to be sold.
Residents are asked to call 311 to report missing grates or manhole covers, and they should call 911 if a crime is in progress.
