Delaware State Police have arrested 39-year-old Michael Plummer of Greenwood, Delaware, for the theft of copper wire from irrigation systems in Kent and Sussex Counties.
Officials said between April 12, 2024, and August 16, 2024, detectives from Troop 3 and Troop 4 investigated multiple thefts of copper wire from irrigation systems in the Bridgeville, Greenwood, and Houston areas. In each incident, unknown suspects trespassed onto private properties, cut and removed copper wire from pivot irrigation systems used in farming, and caused significant damage to the equipment. Through investigative efforts, detectives identified Dorothy Wooleyhand and Michael Plummer as the suspects and obtained warrants for their arrest.
On August 23, 2024, Plummer was arrested and taken to Troop 5, where he was charged with several crimes, including theft over $1,500 where the victim is over 62 (four counts), theft over $1,500 (four counts), criminal mischief over $5,000 (eight counts), conspiracy in the second degree (four counts), theft under $1,500, criminal mischief under $1,000 (two counts), and criminal trespass in the third degree (ten counts). He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and released on a $21,610 unsecured bond.
Earlier this month, on August 20, 2024, Dorothy Wooleyhand was arrested and taken to Troop 4, where she was charged with multiple crimes. After being arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 7, she was released on a $22,000 unsecured bond.
Wooleyhand faced several charges, including four counts of theft over $1,500 where the victim is over 62, a felony. Additionally, she was charged with four counts of theft over $1,500, also a felony, and eight counts of criminal mischief over $5,000, another felony. The charges further included four counts of conspiracy in the second degree, a felony. She was also charged with one count of theft under $1,500, two counts of criminal mischief under $1,000, and ten counts of criminal trespass in the third degree.