APD Arrests One Suspect in a Northeast Austin Copper Cable Theft Series and Asks for Help Finding a Second
Detectives say two men used vehicles to pull down telephone poles and strip heavy-gauge copper communication cable in Northeast Austin. Adam Ray Lawrence, 37, is in the Travis County Jail; Clifford Nelson Locklin, 52, remains outstanding, and a reward of up to $1,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest.
Austin police have arrested one man and are asking for the public's help finding a second in a series of copper cable thefts in Northeast Austin, the department said in a release published Friday afternoon. Detectives with the Commercial Burglary & Metal Unit began investigating in August 2026, after a series of attempts to steal heavy-gauge copper communication cables attached to wooden telephone poles — poles the suspects used vehicles to pull down so the cables could be removed, police said.
The break in the case came at a scrap scale. Detectives learned that a white van associated with the thefts had been seen attempting to sell copper at a nearby metal recycling business, and members of the Property Crimes Task Force located the vehicle and made a traffic stop, identifying the driver as Clifford Nelson Locklin, 52, police said. During the investigation, Locklin identified the owner of a Dodge Ram truck believed to be involved as Adam Ray Lawrence, 37. Detectives determined that Lawrence had sold more than 600 pounds of copper several days after one of the thefts, using the truck, and confirmed the stolen material was proprietary copper communication cable belonging to AT&T.
Lawrence was charged first. In September, detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging him with Theft of Material – Copper, a state jail felony, and he was arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail in October, police said. In October, detectives obtained a warrant charging Locklin with the same state jail felony. Locklin remains outstanding and is believed to reside in Bastrop, Texas, according to the department.
The Commercial Burglary & Metal Unit is asking anyone who knows where Locklin is to contact the unit at APDCommercialBurglary@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-6941. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program at austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477, and a reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.
