Four people are facing charges stemming from the alleged theft of a large amount of copper and other materials from the Vistra Luminant Coffeen Power Plant. The theft investigation started in late January. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies and IDNR Conservation Police responded to a call around 4 a.m. on Wednesday and observed a pickup truck and four-wheeler fleeing the power plant.
Deputies stopped the truck and found copper wire, tools and other materials in the bed of the truck. The occupants of the pickup truck, Cole Y. Waugh, 40, of Gillespie, Judy A. Wilkins, 46, of Gillespie, and Tabetha L. Spann, 49, of Girard, were taken into custody, transported to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with criminal trespass to property, possession of burglary tools, and burglary.
Further investigation led to Caleb Prose, 45, of Gillespie. A search warrant for Prose’s storage unit in Gillespie resulted in the recovery of large amounts of copper wire, tools, suspected methamphetamine and a four-wheeler. Law enforcement later located Prose hiding in the attic of a rural Macoupin County home. Prose was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Prose was charged with burglary, criminal trespass to property and possession of methamphetamine. An estimated $500,000 worth of property was recovered during the investigation.