Fronteras

A southwest Arizona man is hospitalized after getting a huge jolt of electricity while allegedly attempting to steal copper wire from a wooden power pole near Wellton. Alfonso Zavala of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office says 34-year-old Joshua Hess is in critical condition after making a tragic mistake.

“As the suspect pulled the copper wire off the pole, it brushed up against the live power lines, delivering a 69,000 volt shock into the suspect’s body,” Zavala said.

He says metal theft is a big problem, especially in remote parts of the county.