Over the past several weeks Georgia Power has been concerned about the number of people who have been stealing copper wire from the utility company.  One Rockmart man died on Saturday while trying to do just that.

According to reports a Rockmart man named, Derek Charles Siniard was attempting to steal wire from a Georgia Power pole on Saturday along with another man identified as Stephen Kyle Williams also from Rockmart when Siniard was cutting wire on a pole he suddenly collapsed.

Two unidentified women brought Siniard to Redmond Region Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  Siniard’s body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for an autopsy and Williams was arrested and charged with Criminal Damage to Property in the First Degree (felony), Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime (felony), Damaging and Interfering with Public Utilites (misdemeanor), and Criminal Trespass (misdemeanor).

Georgia Power has a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of anyone caught stealing wire.  The utility company has issued a warning about the dangers of attempting to steal wire from power poles.