NATCHEZ — Lending a cup of sugar to a neighbor is polite. Stealing copper and causing costly damage to their home is not.

Cedric Tenner Jr., 21, 2805 Itasca Drive, was arrested for burglary Thursday when the Natchez Police Department found him stripping copper wire from an unoccupied residence.

Tenner lives next door to the dwelling.

“The home had been broken into several times, and we got a tip that Tenner may have been the one doing it,” Godbold said.

After receiving a description of Tenner, NPD officers drove by the unoccupied home, where they found Tenner’s vehicle parked outside.

“We found several items (stolen from the home) in his vehicle,” said Godbold, adding that the damage done to the home exceeds the value of items stolen.

Godbold said he believes Tenner didn’t act alone—and the NPD is working on making more arrests in this case.

“We think he was taking the stolen items across the river and selling them,” Godbold said. “This is a very common problem, people stripping copper from abandoned homes. They go in and rip the sheet rock in half and take what they can sell. We’re hoping to make more arrests off of this one because we don’t believe he acted alone.”

Along with stolen copper, Godbold said air-conditioning theft is an ongoing problem in Natchez—and the police department is working to arrest those responsible.