Three Men Charged After Alleged Copper Theft at Kimball's Former Walmart

Around 2:04 a.m. Sunday, three men allegedly broke into the vacant former Walmart building at 61 Plaza Drive in Kimball, triggering a police pursuit that ended just down the street at Kimball City Hall.

The alert came from Kimball Mayor Adam Gianato, who was monitoring surveillance cameras when they captured individuals breaking into the property, which is now owned by the City of Kimball. Gianato contacted authorities and provided surveillance images of the suspects, including footage that reportedly showed one of them holding bolt cutters at the building.

When the Kimball Police Department chief arrived at the scene, he observed three men exiting the building and climbing into a white Ford F-150 with West Virginia registration. The chief identified himself and ordered them to stop. The truck fled. A short pursuit ended near Kimball City Hall, where the three occupants were detained until additional officers arrived and were removed from the vehicle and placed in handcuffs.

The driver was identified as Daniel Casey White. His two passengers were Joseph Karl Lowe and Billy Parks. Investigators found several items in the bed of the truck believed to have been stolen from the building, including five copper brackets and a breaker, with an estimated total value of at least $1,000. Inside the cab, officers located a grinder and a large pair of blue bolt cutters, consistent with the surveillance images Gianato had provided.

According to the criminal complaint filed in McDowell County Magistrate Court, White told officers he took the items because of a drug problem and fled because he did not realize the person confronting him was a law enforcement officer. Authorities also determined that White's driver's license had been suspended since February 2023 for unpaid citations.

White faces the most extensive set of charges: breaking and entering, grand larceny, felony destruction of property, felony conspiracy, obstructing an officer and fleeing from an officer. Lowe and Parks each face four charges: breaking and entering, grand larceny, felony destruction of property and felony conspiracy.

All three were transported to the McDowell County Sheriff's Office for processing. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.