Mapping Manhole Theft in Fredericksburg
Manhole thefts on the rise in the city, particularly around around Lafayette and Route 3.
In the last few weeks, six manhole covers have been stolen in Fredericksburg. The thefts were first noticed on Sept. 21 by a city employee. On that day, five manholes were reported missing. Then, this past weekend, another manhole was discovered missing at the entrance to Dixon Park.
In an interview conducted when the first five manhole covers were discovered missing, Natatia Bledsoe, public information officer for the Fredericksburg Police Department, said she's puzzled as to what exactly the theives plan to do with them.
"They can't take them anywhere local," said Bledsoe. "They are marked as Fredericksburg property."
Manhole covers are notoriously hard to steal and make a profit off of, according to They weigh between 75 and 100 pounds, forged out of cast iron and are designed to support the weight and force of passing vehicles. That, and scrap yards tend to be the last place you'd want to take. Fearing association with theivery, most scrap yards won't take manhole covers.
Dan Telvock
1:02 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The thieves have to be taking the manhole covers somewhere, so there must be a recycling center somewhere around here that is taking them. This isn't very hard to figure out: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080630/a_manhole30.art.htm
The city needs to contact every single recycling center and find out who is taking them. I find it hard to believe that a recycling center that takes Iron is turning a manhole cover down. How would they even know if it's on a truck under a pile of iron and steel? All they do is weight the content. They don't go through every little piece of metal.
Dan Morris
1:59 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
This could cause some serious issues to vehicles not to mention motorcycle riders. It could easily kill someone on a motorcycle.
Anne
9:49 am on Thursday, November 17, 2011
It's very difficult for me to understand a persons thinking on stealing. Why would they do this when doing it could cause so much damage and possibly cost a person their life? Shame on them and I hope they are caught soon,.