Clarksburg man jailed on 16 felony charges in connection with gas well copper theft

Defendant Davis is charged by Mealey with eight counts of destruction of property and eight counts of entering without breaking.

Mealey also arrested Christopher Lee Capehart, 23, of Clarksburg, on two misdemeanor counts of receiving/transferring stolen property.

The investigation remains ongoing, and more arrests are possible.

The arrest of defendant Davis follows a lengthy probe by the Investigations Division of the Harrison Sheriff’s Department, as well as an investigation by Doddridge County sheriff’s deputies.

Defendant Davis confessed last Thursday that “he had entered well sites owned by Antero Resources with the intent to commit larceny of copper,” Mealey alleged.

The defendant admitted doing so on at least eight occasions between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30, according to Mealey.

Mealey also obtained slips proving the copper had been sold by Richard Davis and his girlfriend “multiple times at multiple locations” to scrap dealers, the complaint alleges.

Defendant Davis would enter an enclosed fence, giving him access to a stairwell that leads to the top of the well tanks at each site, Mealey alleged.

“The cost to replace the stolen copper and make the well pad once again functional is greater than $2,500 per occurrence,” Mealey alleged.

A loss of more than that amount is necessary for a conviction of felony rather than misdemeanor destruction of property.

Each of the felony counts against Richard Davis carries a potential penalty of 1-10 years in prison.

Capehart is accused by Mealey of being with Davis Sept. 4 when 119 pounds of copper were sold to a scrap yard and on Sept. 11 when another 294 pounds of the metal was sold at the same place.

Capehart could face up to a year in jail on each count. Magistrate Davis set Capehart’s bond at $10,000, but the defendant also was being held on a parole revocation petition, according to Mealey.

Kevin Ellis, director of governmental affairs and business development for Antero, released a statement about the investigation Wednesday.

“Over the past several months, we have experienced a rash of thefts of copper wire from dozens of our well pads in Harrison and Doddridge counties,” Ellis said in an email. “The copper is installed at our sites to properly ground our well pad equipment, which provides an additional measure of safety to our employees, contractors and the public. We have worked closely with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Doddridge County Sheriff’s Department to identify those responsible for these thefts.

“We are pleased that this cooperative effort has led to the arrest of individuals responsible. The effort of both law enforcement agencies is a testament to the skill and training of the officers involved and demonstrates a continued commitment on the part of Antero Resources to work with local agencies on a cooperative basis,” Ellis said.