State police are investigating the theft of 1,00 pounds of copper from a Beacon Falls company.
The material was stolen from Automation Controls and Welding Corp. on Pines Bridge Road sometime last weekend, according to a police report on file with Troop I.
In addition to the copper, about 20 pieces of steel pipe and an Arbor press, a small hand-operated machine, were taken from the building.
Police said the person forced his or her way into the basement of the building.
The price of copper, used extensively in highway projects and in home construction, has more than doubled in recent years.
The theft of the metal is so common, an advocacy group formed in Washington D.C. to lobby for tougher penalties for copper thieves.
