Police arrest SLO man suspected of stealing $20,000 worth of copper downspouts

The San Luis Obispo Police Department arrested a man who allegedly stole around $20,000 worth of copper downspouts from the Irish Hills Plaza shopping center last month.

According to a news release, David Ruble, 50, of San Luis Obispo was arrested Tuesday without incident after an investigation showed he had sold over 1,000 pounds of copper downspouts and insulated copper wiring to a Santa Barbara County scrap yard.

The theft was originally reported July 15, when around 40 copper downspouts valued at $20,000 were stolen from buildings in the shopping center off Los Osos Valley Road.

Several weeks after the theft, Ruble was contacted by the Arroyo Grande Police Department and found to be in possession of six downspouts, according to the release.

Ruble was identified by members of the public who responded to a Facebook post and surveillance images shared by the San Luis Obispo Police Department asking for help finding the suspect.

He was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of a charge of grand theft. Ruble was still in custody as of Thursday afternoon, with bail set at $50,000, according to the SLO County Sheriff’s Office’s “Who’s in Custody” website.

Due to the large amount of copper Ruble allegedly sold over the past few months, there may be unreported victims of similar cases of copper theft, the release said.

If you have been the victim of a theft of copper downspouts or insulated copper wiring, contact Detective Hayden Warner at 805-594-8042 or via email at hwarner@slocity.org.