Greenville police are investigating the theft of $15,989 in phone cable from a storage lot owned by Camellia Communications on N. Conecuh St.

Police reports stated the thieves crawled beneath the rear fence line of the lot at some point last weekend and cut the cable loose from spools, pulling it beneath the fence through the woods and into an adjacent lot. A total of 2,132 foot of the cable was reported stolen.

Police were able to recover some of the cable dropped behind by the suspects when they left the scene, said Sgt. Justin Lovvorn. Also recovered was one blue T-shirt covered in cable grease, a pair of white ankle socks, a set of tire tracks, and a belt buckle bearing the initials &#8220RL,” said Lovvorn.

Lovvorn said thieves steal phone cable to melt it down for the copper inside. The rising price of copper on the world market has led to an increase in the number of criminals stealing everything from plumbing pipes to graveyard vases made out of the material.