Prosecutors say two men are at the center of a copper theft spree in West Valley City that gutted buildings for scrap and left more than $100,000 in damage in their wake. The hits included a Jordan Valley Water facility and a vacant structure on Redwood Road, where officials say costly repairs and stolen electronics were left behind. Investigators say the arrests followed a trail of surveillance footage and fingerprints that tied the suspects to multiple break-ins.
According to ABC4, prosecutors say Christopher David Smith is charged with theft over $5,000; four counts of burglary; two counts of property damage with loss over $5,000; and one count of criminal conspiracy. Court filings state the Jordan Valley Water building lost about $300 worth of copper but suffered more than $5,000 in damage, while the owner of the vacant Redwood Road property reported roughly $90,000 in damage. The Utah Attorney General’s Office brought the case after a special agent coordinated with the West Valley City Police Department, according to the report.
"Smith admitted to additional burglaries and said he had sold the copper to salvage yards," court documents state, as reported by ABC4. Detectives say officers caught up with Smith inside the Jordan Valley Water building on April 25, where he was allegedly cutting and stripping copper wire before taking off on foot. He was arrested after a short chase, then told medics he had swallowed fentanyl and was treated at a hospital. After his release, filings say, he was booked and questioned at the Salt Lake County Jail.
Evidence Recovered and Suspect IDs
Court records say officers recovered a lockbox holding about $10,000 worth of motherboards, along with two skateboards, a mask, and a disposable vape inside the waterworks building. Investigators say surveillance video and a fingerprint from a March burglary helped identify Smith, and that a fresh fingerprint and other forensic evidence later connected co-defendant Tyler David Chavis to additional break-ins. Chavis has been arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, and as of Monday, his case had not yet been filed, according to the filings.
Prosecutors' Next Moves
Prosecutors have asked for a warrant to keep Smith in custody while investigators continue to gather evidence and firm up loss estimates, the court papers state. Because the Utah Attorney General’s Office is handling the matter, filings and discovery will move through state channels instead of staying solely at the municipal level. Officials are currently assembling victim lists and preparing formal charging documents.
How Residents Can Help
Police are asking anyone with video or information about the burglaries to contact the West Valley City Police Department, which is leading the investigation. Salt Lake County’s corrections system is processing the arrested suspects while prosecutors decide whether to pursue additional charges as the case develops. Authorities say the episode is a costly reminder that scrap-metal theft can leave utilities and property owners dealing with far more damage than the value of the stolen copper.
