A Hudson couple was arrested Wednesday night when Hickory police caught them loading stolen copper wiring into their van with their children sleeping in the back seat.
Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person at a used car lot on U.S. 321 near CenturyLink (formerly known as EMBARQ) at about 10:30 p.m., but didn't immediately see anyone in the area. The sound of clanging metal drew their attention to a 1996 Plymouth Voyager minivan inside a fenced area on CenturyLink's grounds, said Capt. Thurman Whisnant of the Hickory Police Department.
They saw a man with no shirt carrying spools of wire to the vehicle. When questioned, he claimed he had permission to take the scrap wire — a claim denied by a CenturyLink employee, Whisnant said.
Further investigation revealed the lock on the storage yard's fence had been cut off.
The officers looked inside the van and found the man's visibly pregnant wife, the couple's 1 and 3-year-old children and stolen copper belonging to CenturyLink, according to the police report.
The couple was arrested and the Catawba County Department of Health and Human Services released the children into the custody of their grandparents.
Eric James Haas, 26, was charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering and possession of stolen goods. His bond was set at $15,000 secured.
Tabitha Renee Haas, 24, was charged with breaking and entering, larceny and preparing to commit burglary. Her bond was set at $5,000 secured.
The couple's van was impounded and towed by Hickory Wrecker Service. Dolls, coloring books and snack food containers were strewn throughout the filthy vehicle.
The van's rear seat had been removed and was found in the yard at the couple's mobile home in Hudson next to about 10 spools of wire stamped with the word CommScope.
Caldwell County Sheriff's Office investigators are working to determine if the spools of wire were stolen.
Deputies went to the couple's home, where they photographed more than a dozen spools of copper wiring sitting near the back door.
"I can't believe someone would do that. To involve your children in something like that is disgraceful. I don't think they deserve to have children," said Lt. Brian Bennett of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office.
Neighbors said the family has only lived in the home for about a week.
The couple's neighbor, Carla Stewart, said she'd seen the couple in their front yard rolling wire onto spools, but she didn't realize it was stolen. She's angry the couple took their children along with them on their late-night visit to CenturyLink.
"That's pretty low right there. That's down there with people that use their children to sell drugs," she said. "If they were doing that, they don't need to have kids."
She added she often saw the Haas' 3-year-old son playing beside the dirt road without supervision while the couple was in their home.
"We're still in the early stages of this investigation," said Whisnant, adding that more arrests and charges may be forthcoming.
Eric and Tabitha Haas' first court appearances are scheduled for this morning.
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