A man was charged this week with breaking into the transmitter building of a Christian media group in Griffith to steal wiring to scrap.
Ronald Hamilton, 52, who is listed as homeless, is charged with burglary, and three misdemeanors.
He is in custody, held on a $3,500 cash bond.
Police responded May 5 to the transmitter facility at Salem Media Group, 3000 N. Colfax Street. The theft happened at 6:16 a.m.
Hamilton ran west and lost officers in the woods. Police found his backpack with various tools.
Hamilton cut the lock and some of the fence with bolt cutters. Police took the backpack for DNA analysis and photographed foot tracks. They also found his gloves.
When police pulled over another man the next day, he told them he gave Hamilton a ride to a truck stop parking lot.
An employee said Hamilton caused $1,000 in damage after pulling wires from a sump pump.
Hamilton was arrested after arriving with a group on May 11 at Metro Recyclers scrap yard, 1501 E. Main Street. He denied responsibility.
Court records show Hamilton has theft and burglary convictions dating back to the 1990s.
