Cape man accused of stealing copper, aluminum from houses

A Cape Girardeau man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of burglarizing several residences on Elm Street and removing aluminum and copper.

Charles Junior Rayford, 57, was charged with felony second-degree burglary and misdemeanor stealing.

A woman said she saw Rayford break out a west window at a house in the 900 block of Elm Street in an attempt to push out the aluminum window frame, according to a probable-cause statement from officer Nelson Tillman.

She said he attempted to remove the frame from the outside, the statement said. When she confronted him, he moved to the 700 block of Elm Street, where she saw him taking aluminum off a door frame. He was taking all the items, worth about $300, in a red trashcan, Tillman wrote.

Rayford admitted to Tillman he took the property and broke the window, according to the statement.

Rayford’s bond was set at $7,500.

Pertinent address: 700 block of Elm Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo

900 block of Elm Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.