MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) - AT&T is offering a reward of up to $1,000 to solve incidents of copper theft from telephone cables. The reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

WTOK TV reports (http://bit.ly/WIjZmJ ) the thefts happened in Meridian and Lauderdale County.

AT&T says the steady rise in the market price of copper in the last few years and the down economy has led some thieves to extreme measures, including stealing copper cables from facilities and telephone poles.

The phone company says it's working with law enforcement agencies and scrap metal dealers in the county to solve the cases.

Information from: WTOK-TV, http://www.wtok.com

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