A Port Coquitlam man with a history of interactions with police is facing charges after copper piping was stolen from an underground parking lot on the weekend.
Clayton Nielsen was arrested in the 2600-block of Jane Street at around 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning and is facing one count of mischief, two counts of break and enter and two counts of possessing break-in instruments.
A resident of the apartment building phoned police after hearing something suspicious in the underground parking lot and seeing copper piping lying on the ground.
"The area was immediately swamped with police," said Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung. "We arrested one male red handed and we held him in custody."
This is not the first time the 27-year-old accused has had trouble with police.
Last fall he was charged with two counts of break and enter, possession of stolen property and possessing break in tools. In 2010 he was charged with four counts of theft under $5,000 and Nielsen has similar charges dating back to 2003.
"We have had extensive dealings with him in the past," Chung said.
He added that because police were able to get to the scene quickly, the damage caused by the accused while removing the pipe was relatively contained.
Nielsen's first court appearance on this matter is scheduled fr Thursday, July 12.
