Scrap metal thief to be sentenced in May

A scrap metal bandit who was severely shocked while trying to remove copper from a transformer will learn his fate this spring.

Kyle Rice, 32, of Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Wednesday to several charges including mischief over $5,000 and break and enter with intent.

Shawn Mayhew, 39, also of Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to a single count of mischief over $5,000.

Rice and Mayhew were arrested Feb. 12, 2018, after police were notified that a fibre optic cable near River Road and Park Street in Niagara Falls had been cut and rendered useless.

The total loss was in excess of $38,000.

About a month later, Rice was arrested at the former St. Catharines General Hospital. Assistant Crown attorney Greg Smith said the hospital on Queenston Street, which had been vacant since 2013 and is now in the process of being demolished, had been the target of vandals as well as scrap metal thieves.

Police entered the property and observed five men “stacking” copper and brass pipes and other materials in an area of the hospital.

Also, Rice was hospitalized April 29 after he was badly shocked while trying to remove piping from a dual-voltage transformer at a property under construction on Victoria Avenue in Niagara Falls. Damage to the transformer was pegged at $20,000.

The duo will return to court May 3 for sentencing.