APD arrests two suspects accused of stealing 750 lbs of copper

FOX San Antonio, By Will LeHardy, April 24, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas — Two men were arrested on Thursday in east Austin and accused of stealing 750 lbs of copper.

Police responded on Thursday morning at around 8:15 a.m. in the 1900 block of Robinson Avenue after a 911 caller reported two individuals were acting suspiciously while transferring items from a rental truck to a pickup truck.

At the scene, officers found two men near the rental and pickup trucks, the men denying knowledge of the rental vehicle. Officers discovered that the pickup bed was filled with cut, heavy-gauge copper wire, and that the rental truck had a switched license plate.

Further investigation revealed the vehicle had been flagged in a prior burglary investigation; the officers also observed "additional indicators" consistent with metal theft, according to APD. Police searched both vehicles and recovered over 750 lbs of copper wire.

The suspects, identified as 52-year-old John Waring and 48-year-old Michael Fillenworth, were arrested and charged with Unauthorized Possession of Certain Copper/Brass Material, APD says. Waring also faces additional felony drug charges after police discovered him in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine.

The arrests come as copper theft is on the rise in Austin, APD calling it a "persistent issue."

"Copper crime has increased dramatically in the last couple of years, that just goes in line with the actual cost of copper," Fernando Chipelo, a detective with APD's Commercial Burglary and Metal Theft Unit, said.

APD says that copper thieves will sell their stolen copper to metal recycling facilities, which will then melt the metal down and resell back to the market. Stealing copper often comes at a risk to public infrastructure.

"They're going after generators, they're going after infrastructure, their going after telecommunications, and all of these things, in hopes that they're gonna find some kind of valuable metal in there that they're going to resell," Chipelo said.

Waring and Fillenworth are currently in the Travis County Jail with bonds set at $10,000 and $15,000, respectively.

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