ASHLAND (AP) – Two Aroostook County men have been charged with theft for allegedly stealing copper wire from a property in Ashland.

Maine State Police Sgt. Tom Pelletier says an Ashland man called police last night reporting that someone was stealing from a pile of copper wire he had on his property. The two men fled when a trooper arrived, but they were caught nearby a short time later.

Thirty-two-year-old Jeffrey Thibodeau of Caribou and 26-year-old Jason Faggiole of Easton were charged with theft. Homes, construction sites and utility yards across Maine have been targeted by thieves looking to get their hands on copper and other metals whose prices have gone sky-high the past couple of years.