Pa. plumber cops plea in pilfered pipes case

[February 20, 2009]  NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania plumber faces jail time after using his skills to steal pipes from restaurant bathrooms and sell the purloined metal for scrap.

Daniel Rushton pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking chrome-plated and brass pipes from toilets and urinals at restaurants in suburban communities northwest of Philadelphia.

The 30-year-old Clifton Heights man said he sold the pipes as scrap metal to support a drug habit.

One investigator had said it took the plumber about four minutes to shut off the water and remove the pipes. Some of his exploits were caught on video surveillance cameras.

Prosecutor Tony Gil calls it one of the stranger crimes he's seen.

Rushton faces similar charges in Delaware County and Philadelphia.

[Associated Press]

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