Local man arrested for selling stolen storm sewer grate

[G2:106 class=g2image_float_right]A Woodbine man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with the theft of at least one of three storm sewer grates stolen in east Corbin last Thursday.
Solomon Lyttle, 25, was charged with one count of receiving stolen property under $300 in value. Corbin Police Captain Tim Helton, who is heading the investigation into the thefts, said authorities tracked down Lyttle by contacting local scrap metal companies.
“He admitted to selling the storm grate, but said it wasn’t stolen,” Helton said. “He gave us a couple different stories about how he got it.”
Lyttle sold the grate last Thursday to Gray Metal Company. Helton would not say how much money the man got in the transaction.
“Very, very little,” he said. “It wasn’t worth the effort.”
Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said thieves took three of the heavy, iron grates from streets in east Corbin late last Thursday or early Friday morning, and predicted they would likely sell them as scrap metal. The grates are each worth about $110.
Two others are still missing from the most recent thefts, and McBurney said others have been taken in the past.
“I would hope if someone took these to a scrap dealer they would know a private individual is not supposed to have them,” McBurney said. “I’m just glad they found out who the culprit is. This cost the taxpayers money. We plan on prosecuting it to the fullest extent.”
One of the three grates was taken from Roy Kidd Ave. McBurney said the thefts are particularly dangerous because of the gaping holes they leave near curbs could cause damage to someone’s vehicle or be a hazard for a pedestrian.
“If they drop a wheel down in there, it can tear up your car or cause serious injuries,” McBurney said. “We aren’t taking it lightly.”
City officials say the grates are currently unmarked, but that in the future they plan on marking them somehow so they can be identified as belonging to the city of Corbin.
The city’s Public Works Department fortunately had spare grates to replace two of the ones stolen, but McBurney said not many extras are kept on hand. One of the holes was simply blocked off until a replacement grate could be procured.
“We’ve had one or two of them disappear in the past and we couldn’t understand what was happening,” he said. “When three came up missing in one day, it threw up a red flag. These are something you don’t keep many of lying around. It’s kind of got us upset over it.”
Helton said Lyttle did not provide authorities further information that could lead to recovery of other stolen grates, but said officers would continue to investigate the thefts.
Lyttle was lodged in the Laurel County Jail.