Rossville police charge man for oil spill
ROSSVILLE, Georgia (WDEF) – Rossville Police have charged a suspect with theft of copper wiring that also created a Haz Mat situation over the weekend.
46 year old Christopher Shane Nichols faces a second degree burglary charge, but more charges are possible.
He is also wanted for auto theft in East Ridge.
Officials discovered the theft on Sunday Night at the old Coats American building.
They spotted an oily sheen on Maple Street.
Inside the building, they found an industrial transformer, with a PCB warning label, tipped over.
It was knocked over in the process of removing a copper coil.
The vandalism caused an oil spill requiring hazardous materials crews.
Other transformers inside the building had also been vandalized for copper.
Rossville Police investigators found bags of copper, tools and even clothes at the scene that they traced back to him.
And local scrap metal dealers helped.
“We deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of Rossville Police Chief Sid Adams and his team to find those responsible for this selfish act that endangered our community,” said Sole Commissioner Shannon Whitfield.
“Officer Dewayne Llewellyn should be commended for his quick action and resourcefulness in this case. His decision to make fliers and pass them out at area scrap metal locations helped develop leads that might not have materialized.”
Walker County is trying to find a developer to do something with the property.
They’ve had to delay a final decision on that because of the oil spill.
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