A 42-year-old Ottawa man has been charged after allegedly stealing 25 manhole covers in the Elmvale Acres area.
Police charged Tim Argiropoulos on Friday with theft over $5,000, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and mischief endangering life.
He is scheduled to appear in court August 11.
Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa is continuing to warn the public about missing manhole covers on city streets.
About 150 covers have gone missing in the last month - 80 of which were stolen in the past week.
It is believed the covers are being stolen to sell for scrap metal.
A recycled, cast-iron manhole cover is worth about $50. Copper is a more commonly stolen metal.
"The scrap metal industry has more thefts than any other sector. Thieves will go over the fence, take already-collected scrap metal and chuck it over (the fence). So they could literally sell it back to same guy or take it down the road and sell it to someone else," said Leonard Shaw, executive director of the Recycling Industries Association.
The scrap metal recycling industry is working on theft prevention initiatives and ways to track stolen goods.
Police are continuing their investigation into the other manhole cover thefts.
