A man accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of copper in Carroll County is behind bars Monday.

Sheriff's deputies said they caught Harry Coleman III, 32, of Deepwater, W. Va., in the act early Monday morning. Deputies said he was stealing about 250 feet of copper wire from a Coral Road property in Malvern, and the copper was estimated to be worth over $1,500. Sheriff Dale Williams said his deputies are cracking down on thefts in the area.

"We've been having a lot of copper thefts in the county, and the last couple of weeks we've had a significant amount of copper taken in the Brown Township, Malvern area," said Williams.

Coleman's arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into copper thefts around the county, with recent thefts of over $14,000 worth of heavy duty copper wire from the oil field industry areas.

"The other one is a subject from the Waynesburg area," said Williams, about the arrests deputies made Monday morning. "The one was apprehended last night. The charges were filed this morning, breaking and entering, theft, etc."

The sheriff said he recently saw a jump in copper thefts in the county. The sheriff's office is making progress on the investigation so far, Williams said.

"The last couple of weeks, the Malvern area, is a hot area right now with the copper wire," said Williams. "This was all new stuff on reels … heavy, heavy, heavy copper stuff, so it's new stuff they're stripping and they're selling."

Coleman was arraigned in Carroll County Municipal Court Monday morning. He faces several charges, including breaking and entering, theft, and carrying a concealed weapon. The sheriff said he expects more charges to come out the investigation.