Austin Police Seek Black Dodge Ram 1500 in Copper Thefts Near Mueller Boulevard

Austin Police are asking the public for help investigating copper thefts near Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street in East Austin, where detectives are seeking information about a black Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck that may be connected to the case. Yahoo reported that the thefts have left businesses and property owners facing expensive repairs after lengthy power outages.

Austin Police Pursue Leads in Mueller Copper Case

The investigation comes two months after copper thefts caused a lengthy power outage affecting several businesses at the Mueller Regional Retail Center. Police said the investigation near Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street remains open and active, with the department's Commercial Burglary Unit pursuing leads. No arrests had been announced in the department's response to KVUE.

Pastor Chorbishop Don Sawyer of Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church said the problem is familiar. "One day our administrator was here alone, and he looked down and there was a man standing on the compressor unit," Sawyer said. "He was dismantling it." Sawyer said the church has experienced multiple copper thefts over the years, leaving the parish with costly repairs and additional security expenses. "We're not wealthy. We're not a huge megachurch," he said. "It hits us hard."

Matt Mitchell, an Austin Energy public information officer, said responsibility for repairs depends on where a theft occurs. "If it's on the customer side of the meter, and we see that a lot in commercial endeavors and buildings, we'll find out that thieves will go in there, steal the copper out of that. That falls on the commercial entity to replace that," Mitchell said. "If it's on more of a public infrastructure where Austin Energy is responsible, that falls on Austin Energy to replace it and bear that cost." Mitchell said repairs can take days or longer because of supply chain challenges and high demand for copper, and that costs can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the damage. He also warned that damaged electrical equipment and exposed wiring can pose serious safety risks to utility crews and the public.

Under Texas law, copper theft is a state jail felony and can be elevated to a third-degree felony if it involves critical infrastructure, according to APD. Sawyer said the church has installed fencing around its equipment to prevent future thefts.

Austin Energy's Grid Resilience Spending

Austin Energy is a municipally owned electric utility and department of the City of Austin, Texas, serving more than 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers within the ERCOT grid since 1895, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show the utility approved a $735 million, 10-year grid resilience plan in December 2025, allocating $340 million for vegetation management, $280 million for circuit improvements and $115 million for smart grid systems, in response to Winter Storms Uri in 2021 and Mara in 2023.

Earlier Austin Energy Outages and Projects

In October 2026, a partial power outage affected parts of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's Barbara Jordan Terminal, with teams from the airport and Austin Energy on scene, Yahoo reported. That same month, Community Impact reported that the MLK Jr. Blvd. bridge over I-35 was fully operational and that Austin Energy had completed tunneling along Lady Bird Lake.

How to Report Copper Theft

Anyone with information on the Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street case is asked to contact APD at [email protected]. Austin Energy urges anyone who suspects copper theft to call 911 immediately and avoid approaching damaged electrical equipment.