28-year-old charged with 20 felonies in metal theft

Bradley Keith Hampton

By Nathan Hardin

nhardin@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A 28-year-old was charged with 20 felonies Monday after deputies say they caught him trying to sell roughly 400 pounds of metal at an East Spencer scrap yard.

According to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, Bradley Keith Hampton, 530 Brooke Circle, was stopped by deputies at Holmes Iron and Metal on North Long Street.

Hampton was in a Dodge Neon with about 400 pounds of orange-colored metal and was in the process of being weighed at the scrap yard when deputies began questioning him.

Hampton told officers he had gotten the metal from his father.

After an initial investigation, detectives found that the stolen steel frame supports had been taken from LKQ Auto Parts at 4995 S. Main St.

An arrest report said Hampton admitted to going to the business on three separate occasions to take metal. He later told officers that he had been there as many as 10 times, each time taking about 500 to 600 pounds of metal.

Deputies went with Hampton back to the business to return the stolen metal.

Hampton told detectives during the delivery that he “was not a bad thief.”

Detectives contacted local scrap yards and found that Hampton had sold metal to Holmes on three previous incidents. He also sold metal to T.H. Davis nine other times.

Hampton was charged with 12 counts of felony larceny and eight counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense.

He was in jail Wednesday under a $5,000 bond.

The theft was one of many scrap metal larcenies local law enforcement agencies have seen in the last few years.

Salisbury Police Capt. Shelia Lingle said Tuesday the number of scrap metal thefts will top 2011’s numbers if the larceny pace continues.

On Wednesday, Salisbury Police reported three additional air conditioning units had been taken from Salisbury homes.

Capt. Melonie Thompson said seven units have been stolen in total, almost all of which were taken as a whole unit.

Thompson said police are asking residents to be aware of unfamiliar individuals in the area, especially those in work vehicles or work gear that appear to be working at abandoned or for-sale homes.

Anyone with information about break-ins or scrap-metal thefts is asked to call Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers at 866-639-5245.