Suspected Copper Thief Chased to Neighborhood Behind Rosemont High School

After a roughly hour-long search Monday, authorities were unable to find a suspected copper thief who was chased into a gated community near , Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Dep. Jason Ramos said.

Ramos said around 10:30 a.m., an employee at a Jackson Road Teichert facility came upon a man who had some copper wire stashed in a field, and chased him on foot.

"There were reports that the guy had run over toward the high school and maybe gone through some backyards," Ramos said in a phone interview.

After about an hour and fifteen minutes of searching the Aspen Village community near Mayhew Road and Kiefer Boulevard, sheriff's department officials called off the search, Ramos said.

"[They] never ended up finding him," he said.

Ramos said the suspect could be charged with a felony, since the theft amounted to thousands of dollars in damage to the Teichert facility. The suspect was described as a thin white male in his 40s wearing a tan baseball hat, camouflage jacket and black pants.

Editor's note: This story is in response to a Rosemont resident who asked why there were so many sheriff's department cars near her home Monday. If you see something going on in the community, email cody.kitaura@patch.com.