KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Copper thief nearly shuts down River Market Ice Rink

A copper thief nearly closed the River Market Ice Rink a week early. When crews arrived Friday morning to open the rink, instead of ice, they found slush. They quickly figured discovered the problem.

Thieves broke through the fence and pulled up about 20 feet of wire which powered the ice rink's chiller. Inside the electrical wire was braided copper worth more than a thousand dollars. Police don't have any suspects yet, but folks at the ice rink believe the thief was someone who knew what they were doing.

"A petty thief would have had no idea what kind of value the copper wiring could have been or how to unplug that kind of wiring without electrocuting themselves," said Director of River Market Operations Diana McClung.

The River Market crew was able to replace the stolen part Friday morning and refreeze the ice by 1 p.m., making a long like of eager skaters very happy.