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Gwinnett metal theft unit arrests 3

GWINNETT CO., Ga,None — Gwinnett County police say the department's new metal theft unit is going after those who purchase metal, but skirt the law.

"It is a problem," said Corporal Larry Hurst.

He says some "secondary recyclers," which can be either businesses or individuals, are breaking the law by not asking for proper documentation or keeping a log of the seller's information, when they buy metal.

"If you have stolen metal, why take it to someone who's going to copy your license and take your tag number, take it to those individuals who do not do that, and then they take it to larger secondary metal recyclers," Hurst said.

Recently, undercover police officers found some recyclers advertising online and arrested three of them.

Lewis Howard Sims of Conyers, Joshua Leif McDaniel of Winder and Brent Dean Grissom of Duluth are accused of not following the law when they purchased copper from undercover officers.

Hurst says that kind of activity fuels the metal theft problem in Gwinnett and across the metro area.

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