Two Arrested in $50,000 Copper Theft and Burglary at Ormat Facility in Imperial County
HOLTVILLE, CA — “On Monday, September 1, 2025, at approximately 10:39 a.m., the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported theft at the Ormat Facility, located at 3300 East Evan Hewes Highway. Two unknown male suspects, driving a Mule UTV, unlawfully entered the property and stole several pieces of wire containing copper from inside a transformer.
The victim reported the incident had occurred earlier that morning at approximately 10:25 a.m., and that there was approximately $50,000 in damage and stolen property. Patrol deputies began an investigation and quickly disseminated a description of the suspects and the vehicle involved.
At approximately 11:37 a.m., patrol deputies located a Mule UTV matching the description traveling in the area of Whitlock Road. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle failed to yield and fled into the desert terrain, where patrol vehicles could not follow. The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office requested aerial support from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter, but despite an extensive search, the suspects were not immediately located.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 3:30 p.m., patrol deputies located a Mule UTV matching the description parked at a residence off Hartshorn Road, on the outskirts of Holtville, California. Deputies made contact with the homeowner, who granted written consent to search the property, including inside of the residence.
During the search, deputies identified and located both suspects involved in the earlier incident. The individuals were taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Imperial County Jail. Deputies and investigators also recovered the stolen copper wire and other property reported missing by the victim.
The two suspects in this case were identified as Roy Schaffner and Ernesto Flores. Both suspects were booked into the Imperial County Jail for the following charges 459(a) PC – Burglary, 487(a) PC – Grand Theft, 496(a) PC – Possession of Stolen Property, 594(b)(1) PC – Vandalism, and 2800.1(a) CVC – Evading.
The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the California Highway Patrol for their assistance and encourages anyone with additional information related to this case to contact Investigator S. Castro at (442) 265-2134.”
