State police say they caught two burglars red-handed in the process of stealing copper piping, electronics and tools from a house on Potter Mountain Road in Gilboa early Friday morning.
According to a news release from the New York State Police, troopers Jason Seaman and Mark DeMichele discovered a burglary in progress at the house, at 1:55am Friday. As they approached the house, two people attempted to drive away in a 1999 Mercury. The troopers stopped the car and found copper piping in the trunk, and a sign on the door of the car advertising "Free Salvage Removal."
Arrested were 41-year-old William Person of Northville and 52-year-old Wendy Ryan of Middleburgh, the owner of the car.
Police say Person and Ryan stole a flat-screen TV, a DVD player, and a tool box from the house, and entered a crawlspace to remove the copper piping, destroying the home's heating system.
Person was arraigned in the Town of Cobleskill court and remanded to the Schoharie County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. Ryan was released on her own recognizance.
State police are working with the Schoharie County District Attorney, and additional arrests are expected.
