TULSA, Okla. — Copper theft of light poles at Tulsa's Alsuma Park left the local youth soccer club Blitz Academy FC at least $10,000 lighter, with no culprit held accountable yet.
While games are played at other parks, coach Michael Umelo said practice access is all but limited to the park at 51st and Mingo.
"Some of the kids were running towards us (saying), 'The fields are dark,'" Umelo told 2 News, referring to Nov. 17. "Then we started inquiring what was happening, and we were informed that some of our electric bars were cut off."
Copper is a precious metal with a hot black market.
Umelo said someone stole copper wires from every light pole at Alsuma Park over Nov. 10th and 11th, literally cutting short practice for all teams.
"We got like five minutes (practice time) on Tuesday," Blitz under-13 goalkeeper Brylee Barnes said. "Because the lights were cut out, we couldn't play or practice."
"We've had to put 10-ft. conduits in (each pole), and it's metal. So it should deter someone," Brylee's mom, Courtney Barnes, said. Barnes is team manager for her daughter's squad, and said the club had to pay for the damage in more than just a loss on the field.
"I mean, it takes away from the kids," she said. "We had lots of plans for the money that we had saved for the club to help continue building our fields back up. So $10,000 is about what this costs for us to have to repair. So it's a huge loss."
Tulsa police haven't announced any arrests so far. Barnes and Umelo hope that changes soon.
"Whenever this type of stuff happens, it does set us back and it does affect the kids that we're trying to be able to do this for," Umelo said.
"If anybody has any information, that'd be great to come forward because this is a hard loss," Barnes added.
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