Construction costs are high across the country as real estate booms, but recently, one site in Orange County is seeing costs go up as lumber is stolen.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office shared a release Tuesday saying it is investigating thefts of lumber from an unnamed site on Monday, August 2 and Friday, August 6. According to the sheriff’s office, two men drove vans up to the site in early morning hours and loaded “a large quantity of oriented strand board, more commonly known as OSB” into their vehicles.

Motion-activated trail cameras caught footage of the suspects in action, as they drove a white van for the first trip and a black van for the second.

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in Tuesday’s release that since OSB is used in about 70 percent of all floor, wall and roof sheathing in construction, it’s currently a valuable commodity.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues significantly increased the cost of building materials,” he said, “which unfortunately led to an increase in the number of thefts from construction sites. My deputies are patrolling the construction sites in their areas more frequently. Additionally, we are publishing a tip sheet to help site managers improve site security and deter thefts such as these.”

Suspects with a white van take oriented strand board, more commonly known as OSB, from a construction site in Orange County in early August. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)

A suspect prepares to load stolen oriented strand board into a black van at a construction site in Orange County in early August. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are asking for help identifying the two men caught on video. Anyone who may have information on their identities or the August 2 and August 6 robberies is encouraged to call Investigator Baldwin with the office at 919-245-2030.

Construction site managers are encouraged to come by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to pick up a tip sheet about security. Tuesday’s release said they can also call 919-245-2900 to request one be delivered to the job site.

 

Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

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