The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of copper thefts that are leaving many in the Pedro and Decatur Township area without phone service.

AT&T phone lines have been cut several times in areas from State Route 650 to State Route 93 since the beginning of June, Detective Aaron Bollinger of the sheriff’s office said.

Similar thefts have been reported in Scioto, Gallia and Jackson counties as well, Bollinger said. Thieves burn the wire to remove the copper portions, which they then recycle, the detective said.

Melissa Euton lives on State Route 522 near the Scioto/Lawrence county line. As of Monday, Euton’s residence did not have phone service because of a theft. She said she has only had phone service for four days this month because of thefts.

“You can’t call anyone,” Euton said, adding that her cellular phone does not have service at her home. “You can’t get an ambulance if you need one. It’s just ridiculous.”

Euton’s neighbor, Julie Casey has a child who has cerebral palsy who sometimes has seizures and an uncle who is on dialysis who lives nearby. Her primary concern is being able to contact emergency services if there were an emergency, she said.

“We have to go all the way to Wheelersburg to get good cell phone service,” Casey said. “It’s kind of a pain but the main thing we worry about is something happening to someone.”

Bollinger said whoever is stealing the phone wire could face hefty charges if they are caught.

“We see this when the price of copper goes up,” he said. “What individuals don’t realize is there’s a single count for everyone put out of service.”

At times, the copper thefts have put affected phone service at 300 to 400 households, he said. That means that whoever is responsible could be charged with felony theft and as many as 300 to 400 counts of disrupting public service, which is also a felony offense.

“We are seeking assistance from the community in locating who may be committing these because it affects everyone,” Bollinger said.

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to contact their local police department, the detective said.