Barrie Police have arrested and charged two men following a theft of copper wire from an abandoned business on Tuesday afternoon.
Police say a witness reported suspicious activity at a building on Blake Street around 3:30 p.m. The witness reported seeing two people leaving the building with what looked to be bags of copper wire, which were loaded into a vehicle.
The site in question is a former restaurant that's been closed since a fire in 2022.
It's believed that copper wire and other materials were removed from inside the vacant building after the suspects broke in through a window. A window on the north side of the building had been smashed as found in a later search.
One of the suspects reportedly drove off while the other left on foot and was quickly apprehended by police.
Investigators learned that the second suspect had gone to a local scrap metal recycler to sell the copper, where officers attended soon after.
Police say they arrested the second suspect in the area of Anne Street and John Street less than an hour after the initial call.
Officers also seized cash and related documents directly linked to the sale from one of the suspects once back at police headquarters.
The men, aged 33 and 39, were each charged with breaking and entering, possession of stolen property under $5,000, and trafficking property obtained by crime.
The 39-year-old was also charged with possession of break-in instruments and breaching probation.
