Police began investigating thefts from public infrastructure in September, when people broke into underground junction boxes and streetlight bases to remove copper wiring. On Sept. 9, an officer responding to a reported theft found damaged boxes along North 66th Street and West Birch Avenue. The complaint lists 21 streetlight poles in nearby parking lots, an alley and streets that were not working.

The complaint identifies the man as Alvin Clifton Harris. After the Sept. 9 incident, an officer saw Harris leaving in a blue SUV with a broken windshield, according to the complaint. Police said he did not stop when signaled and escaped after a brief pursuit.

Surveillance footage recorded Oct. 1 at a building on North Teutonia Avenue allegedly showed Harris and another person tampering with an underground electrical vault. A city electrician later assessed four vaults between the 3100 and 3300 blocks of the avenue and estimated that about 1,000 feet of copper wire, worth more than $4,000, had been taken. The damage disrupted service for several days.

In mid-October, officers watching an area near North Teutonia Avenue and West Nash Street saw Harris and others pull an estimated 100 to 150 feet of wiring from a ground vault, the complaint says. The group allegedly used a car to drag the cable down an alley. When police stopped the vehicle, Harris ran, leaving behind identification cards, wire cutters and tools in the SUV, according to investigators.

Police arrested Harris about a week later. Officers found suspected crack cocaine, a digital scale and more than $500 in cash, the complaint says. During an interview, Harris acknowledged driving the SUV and being present at theft scenes, but said he did not remove the wire himself. He told police he bought stolen copper from accomplices in exchange for cocaine and small sums of money, then sold it to scrap yards, according to the complaint.

The charges include conspiracy to damage property, conspiracy to commit theft, fleeing an officer and possession with intent to deliver cocaine as a repeat offender. The allegations have not been proven in court. The complaint says convictions on all counts could result in decades in prison.

A report accompanying the case said streetlight wire thefts had cost Milwaukee about $650,000. The outages have left blocks without public lighting, while repairs to damaged electrical infrastructure have also required city crews to restore service.