Thieves are apparently taking what they can from the former Westar Energy plant near the Tecumseh community east of Topeka.
The plant is in the process if being demolished but not before thieves have sneaked into the place at night to carry off metal and other things they think are of value.
The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office indicated it had beefed up security following complaints from residents. As one man put it, the old plant had become “a criminal playground at night.”
Thieves had cut through fences to make their entry into the place. The Topeka Capital Journal reported Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer confirmed an ATV that had been reported stolen in another county was recovered at the Westar property.
“We are aware of issues at the property and we are working with Westar,” Stallbaumer said. “They have increased security at the facility and they have worked on storing the higher-valued items securely.”
Westar spokeswoman Gina Penzig said demolition at the Tecumseh Energy Center site began in September and will be complete by the end of 2019. Westar then will plant native grass in the area. Once complete, she said, only the substations will remain.
“We are aware of theft and have increased security,” Penzig said. “We have also been in contact with the power plant neighbors, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department and Safe Streets to gain their help in watching for and reporting suspicious activity.
“Items of significant value have been removed or secured at the site. Most of the thefts target scrap metal, which may cause hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage, but only nets a couple of dollars when sold.”