Several arrests have been made in connection with a string of recent wire and metal thefts at Castle Airport, the Merced County Sheriff's Department reported.
Atwater residents Joseph Niehaus, 30, James Drennen, 36, Anthony Stead, 37, and Miriah Randall, 35, were arrested at separate times and locations in connection with the thefts, according to Deputy Tom MacKenzie, sheriff's spokesman. MacKenzie said the thefts have been reported since December, with a value of more than $10,000 -- and causing about as much in property damage. The thieves would take the metal and sell it as scrap at local recycling plants, MacKenzie said.
