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Copper wire thieves hit Edmonds Stadium

EDMONDS, Wash. — Dozens of student-athletes were left in the dark after thieves struck at an Edmonds Stadium. Copper wire was stripped from the lighting system, postponing Friday night's football game.

Officials say they've seen this sort of thing before.

Edmonds police believe the thieves stole the copper wire sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning.

This is a busy time at the Edmonds-Woodway High School stadium. Girls soccer early on this Saturday afternoon, football in late afternoon.

But the matchup between Meadowdale and Lynnwood is happening nearly 24 hours late. Thieves cut the copper wires that feed these giant stadium lights, leaving only half the lights on Friday night.

"We got an email this morning saying that our games these next weeks were moved because the copper wire was stolen," said Bob Nichols, a Snohomish County firefighter.

He was here for his daughter's soccer match.

"I mean it's terrible the copper got stolen, of course," Nichols said. "And that happens every once in a while from construction sites. I've never heard of it being stolen from, you know, light stanchions at a football field."

Neither have Edmonds police.

"This is the first time that I can recall in the last 20 years I've been with Edmonds having the school district actually targeted," said Sgt. Shane Hawley,

Hawley says the theft was discovered when the stadium crew couldn't get the lights to come on after the Friday afternoon soccer match.

"We're thinking sometime after the stadium closed up Thursday before school got in session on Friday morning," he said of the theft.

The Edmonds school district says it is working on repairs. District girls soccer and football are played here during the fall. So teams district-wide are sure to be affected until the lights here are restored.

"It makes it tough on everybody for minimal advantage for whoever decided to do it," said Cary Morgan. "If they put that much effort into being a good responsible citizen, wouldn't we all be better?"

The thieves also stole the copper wire at the softball field about a week ago.

Now Edmonds police are looking for any video they can find of the crime and asking for the public's help.

Anyone who knows about what happened is asked to call police.

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