Man charged with aggravated robbery for stealing wire / Police investigating possible connection to similar robbery at same business

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by Miles Jung-Kilbreath

Reporter

Streetsboro -- Resident Tommy Thompson, 20, has been charged with aggravated robbery of aluminum wire from a Wellman Road business, and police say he is being investigated in an earlier alleged wire theft from the same business.

On Jan. 3, a resident who lives near the business reported seeing two men removing wire from a spool after hours. Police said the resident went home and had his girlfriend call the police as he returned to the business, only to see the men run away.

According to the report, the men ran toward Aurora-Hudson Road with the resident chasing them.

During the chase, one of the men, later identified as Thompson, allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened to stab the resident if he continued to follow them, according to police reports.

The resident told police he stopped chasing the men and returned to his vehicle to wait for police, according to reports.

Streetsboro Lt. Roy Mosley said police traced the van found near the business Jan. 3 back to Thompson and arrested him Jan. 4. The resident then identified Thompson as the man who pulled the knife.

After he was charged, Thompson was taken to Portage County Jail, according to police.

Police say they also are investigating Thompson for any connections to a previous robbery at the same business.

The Wellman Road business reported missing aluminum cable Dec. 26. According to police, around 20,000 feet of aluminum cable on three spools, valued at around $30,000, was stolen.

An employee told police a gate had been left open to the company's yard.

It was also reported that eight aluminum pipes, worth an undisclosed amount, were missing. Mosley said the department is working to identify a suspect who could be the second man seen at the business, but no one had been charged by press time.