Grand theft charges were filed Thursday against a convicted felon accused of damaging air-conditioning units from which he allegedly stole copper fittings at Norco High School.
Timothy Wayne Arnett, 45, of Corona was arrested and booked Tuesday into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he’s being held in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Arnett was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant allegedly accessed the Norco High campus the night of Oct. 20 and tore out copper drainage lines attached to two industrial air-conditioners, rendering the units inoperable.
Sheriff’s deputies were alerted, and an investigation was initiated. Four nights later, Arnett allegedly returned and did the same thing again to other A/C units on campus, according to sheriff’s investigators, who said security cameras captured the suspect coming and going on both occasions.
While conducting an unrelated narcotics investigation, sheriff’s officials identified Arnett as the alleged perpetrator of the thefts, and he was arrested without incident in Norco.
The defendant allegedly wanted the copper lines for their metal content, for which he could receive cash if they were sold to junk dealers willing to take them.
State law requires dealers to record all transactions and question where items originated. The law imposes civil and criminal penalties on dealers who knowingly accept and pay for stolen property.
According to court records, Arnett has prior convictions for receiving a stolen vehicle, possession of controlled substances and grand theft.