Beaver County Woman to Stand Trial in Leetsdale Copper Theft

A Raccoon Township woman is accused of .

Laura Kuzma, 25, waived a single charge of burglary Tuesday to Allegheny County Court. District Judge Robert Ford modified Kuzma's $10,000 bond allowing her to be released from Allegheny County Jail on a promise to return for court. 

Allegheny County police were called Feb. 9 to investigate the burglary on Valley Lane after the crime was reported to the.

According to a criminal complaint, a woman stopped by her father’s vacant house the morning of Feb. 9 but couldn't get the garage opener to work so she went in the back door.

That's when she discovered that someone had ripped out copper pipes from the basement and a second-floor bathroom shower. Copper pipes were also pulled out of the ceiling, water meter, hot water tank, washer and dryer and other parts of the basement, police said. Police said a large amount of copper pipe was also taken from the plumbing, and the heating system was removed. Pieces of pipe were strewn all over the floor, along with tools, wiring, bed sheets and other materials, police said.

Numerous cupboard doors were left open and cups were in the sink. 

Police said the home was vacant pending the closing of the sale, which was scheduled for that afternoon. A real estate agent with Prudential Preferred toured the home with the potential buyer the evening before and had not seen any damage, police said.

Allegheny County police detectives collected evidence, including a glass light globe that had been taken from a box in a storage room. The crime lab matched a fingerprint on the globe to Kuzma’s thumb print.

Police went March 21 to the Beaver County Jail to interview Kuzma, who police said admitted to being present at the burglary with two accomplices, , 29, and his brother Matthew, 24, who have not been charged.

She told police that she was high on heroin that night, and that the brothers spotted a "for sale" sign in the yard and wanted to take the copper out of the house, police said.

Kuzma told police she stayed outside most of the time, only going in briefly, police said. Kuzma didn't know where the copper was sold and denied receiving money from the theft, but did tell detectives, “I may have gotten high off the money.”

The incident cost the homeowner more than $5,000, police said. Police said repair costs and replacement pipe for the plumbing and heating systems totaled $3,623. A tool box, suitcase and quilts stolen from the home were valued at $1,420. 

Additional charges are pending.