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  • 3 Maryland men charged with stealing millions in copper materials linked to organized crime, deputies say – WTOP News

    Three men living in College Park, Maryland, have been arrested in a major copper wire theft ring operating in Loudoun County, Virginia.

    Three men living in College Park, Maryland, have been arrested in a copper wire theft ring operating in Loudoun County, Virginia.

    The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests following an eight-month investigation that uncovered widespread construction site thefts resulting in $3 million in losses — mostly in Loudoun County.

    Sheriff Michael Chapman said the men are linked to an international organized crime group.

    “They’re a group out of Romania,” Chapman said. “They’ll commit the crime, cash out, travel back to their home country and try and get out of town as fast as they can.”

    The incidence of copper wire theft is frequent in the U.S., fueled by the high price of metal. Criminals can sell the material to scrap yards for a good price. But stealing the wire is dangerous. Many have been electrocuted trying to steal copper wire, and serious damage can be done to important infrastructure in the process.

    The suspects are identified as Alexandru Constantin, 43, Cristinel Petrovici, 38, and Robert Ciucur, 29. Loudoun County deputies, working in partnership with the Maryland State Police, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Army Criminal Investigation Division, carried out the operation.

    “We’re just happy we were able to identify this group,” said Chapman, adding the investigation is ongoing. “There are still some that look as though they are related to this Romanian organized crime group. We are hoping we can turn up even additional thefts that occurred from this group.”

    Each man faces charges of grand larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny, with the possibility of additional charges as the investigation continues.

    LCSO is urging anyone with information to contact 703‑777‑1021, or submit anonymous tips to Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703‑777‑1919, or on the Sheriff’s Office mobile app.

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    Alan Etter

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  • Support for slain Lake County deputy pours in from across the state

    Support for slain Lake County deputy pours in from across the state

    Local law enforcement, fire agencies, politicians and more share outpouring of support for Lake County deputy killed in Eustis shooting.Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said the deputy who died was the first to enter a Eustis-area home Friday night regarding a disturbance where he was then shot by at by at least two suspects. He was identified by the sheriff’s office as Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link.Two other deputies were injured in the shooting. Two suspects were killed by law enforcement at the scene.There was a procession of law enforcement Saturday morning that followed the medical examiner from the hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Leesburg.

    Local law enforcement, fire agencies, politicians and more share outpouring of support for Lake County deputy killed in Eustis shooting.

    Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said the deputy who died was the first to enter a Eustis-area home Friday night regarding a disturbance where he was then shot by at by at least two suspects. He was identified by the sheriff’s office as Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link.

    Two other deputies were injured in the shooting. Two suspects were killed by law enforcement at the scene.

    There was a procession of law enforcement Saturday morning that followed the medical examiner from the hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Leesburg.

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  • YouTuber Shot After Trying To Prank Man In A Mall

    YouTuber Shot After Trying To Prank Man In A Mall

    A YouTuber was shot in the stomach on April 2 in a Virginia mall after attempting to play what he called a “simple practical joke” on a man.

    Tanner Cook is a member of the Classified Goons, a group that has been posting prank videos on YouTube since May 2022. Known as “just a couple of ‘bone heads,’” according to the group’s YouTube channel description, these pranksters have racked up millions of views across TikTok and YouTube for their typically silly and infantile jokes. One of the group’s most watched videos features popular streamer JiDion, in which he and one of the Goons stroll through stores snitching on the cameraperson filming random people in a bombastic way to start drama. Another video shows a Goon member telling dealerships that one of the cars being sold on the lot is actually their stolen car. You know, very high school, early-to-mid 2010s YouTube-era stuff. Nothing too heinous or egregious. However, a recent practical joke attempt went awry and ended in unfortunate (and unwarranted) violence this week.

    YouTuber Tanner Cook shot, arrest made

    According to news station WUSA9, Cook was shot in the stomach and liver while recording a Classified Goons video inside the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, Virginia. The suspected shooter, 31-year-old Alan W. Colie, was arrested and charged with aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm within a building. An investigation is still underway, while Cook had surgery for the incident. He told WUSA9 that Colie didn’t say anything. He just pulled out a gun and shot Cook.

    “I’m fine,” Cook told WUSA9 in an exclusive interview. “I was just playing a prank, a simple practical joke, and this guy didn’t take it very well and shot me.”

    Kotaku reached out to Cook and the Classified Goons for comment.

    Cops responded in three minutes

    In a press release, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said that once a call was placed at around 11:57 a.m. local time reporting the incident, deputies were on the scene within three minutes. Colie, the suspect, was swiftly arrested.

    “One adult male victim was found outside the mall with a gunshot wound to the abdomen,” LCSO said. “The victim was treated for injuries by deputies and members of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System (LC-CFRS) and transported to a local hospital for treatment. At this time, it does not appear that the suspect and the victim were known to each other.”

    LCSO said deputies on the scene also “checked the entire mall” to see if any other suspects or victims were present, but nothing was reported in that regard.

    When reached for comment, a LCSO detective told Kotaku that the department can’t divulge much information because the incident is still under investigation.

    “We do have the shooter in custody,” the LCSO detective said. “We can’t release the victim’s name or the fact that the victim has a social media presence, which you might already know. We’re limited on what we can say, but the victim is still in the hospital. Other than that, we don’t know their status.”

    Despite such a traumatizing predicament that would rattle most folks, Cook told WUSA9 that the shooting isn’t going to stop him. Posting is his “passion,” he told the news station, so he’s intent to return to YouTube. Cook’s expected to make a full recovery.

     

    Levi Winslow

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