A Mountain Home man with a history of felony arrests is facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing rolls of copper wire, tools, and a truck from the North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) in Mountain Home. Authorities identified the suspect, 43-year-old James Patrick Lally, through video surveillance.
According to information from the Mountain Home Police Department, the theft was discovered on July 18 when employees arriving at NAEC found several garage doors slightly open and personal locker doors in the warehouse tampered with. Upon inspection, they determined that approximately 40 spools of copper wire, valued at $8,000, as well as power tools and chainsaws, were missing. Additionally, one of the cooperative's trucks, worth $30,000, had also been stolen.
Using the truck's GPS system, employees located the vehicle in a wooded area behind businesses on Arkansas Avenue. Police later found it undamaged, but with the keys missing.
Surveillance footage from NAEC reportedly showed Lally as the person responsible for the thefts. Investigators also connected him to another incident reported the previous day, in which a contractor's vehicle parked at NAEC had been broken into and items stolen.
Police allege that on July 19, Lally returned to the cooperative and stole additional items. He was arrested on July 23. During questioning, Lally admitted to being on the business property during the times the thefts occurred.
Lally now faces two counts of commercial burglary, one count of theft of property exceeding $25,000, one count of theft of property worth between $1,000 and $5,000, and one count of breaking or entering a vehicle. He is also charged as a habitual offender. He remains in custody at the Baxter County Detention Center with bond set at $50,000.
Court records reveal that Lally’s criminal history includes 16 felony arrests dating back to 2011, with 14 recorded in Baxter County and two in Washington County. Previous charges include theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances, and resisting arrest. He has been sentenced to state prison on multiple occasions and has also served jail time locally.