Several people accused of conspiring to exchange more than two tons of copper allegedly stolen the Sibley and King Mills were arraigned and taken into custody Friday, Oct. 28.
In all, 10 people are named in an 18-count indictment returned earlier this month by a Richmond County grand jury. All are accused of two counts of conspiracy to commit theft, and each is accused of additional counts of theft by receiving stolen property.
Friday in Richmond County Superior Court, Leslie S. Craft, Robert Dukes, Barry Grant and Sharon K. Lents were taken into custody on grand jury arrest warrants. The district attorney’s office consented in advance to $10,000 bond for each.
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Jonathan E. Sheets, who was already in jail, was arraigned. The others named in the indictment, Antonio Roberts, Larry L. Stensrud, Rudolph Edenfield, Victor H. Newberry and Clifford Finch have outstanding grand jury arrest warrants pending.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy took place from May 1 to June 21. Finch and Newberry are accused of burglarizing the mills, stealing the copper and causing damage to both mills.
Finch and Lents are accused of receiving and disposing of 695 pounds of copper. Edenfield is accused of receiving 333 pounds of copper, Dukes is accused of receiving 399 pounds, Roberts is accused of receiving 1,690 pounds in total, Grand is accused of receiving 647 pounds, Craft is accused of receiving 120 pounds, Stensrud is accused of receiving 153 pounds, and Newberry is accused of receiving 185 total pounds.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
