August 8th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
On Thursday, August 08 investigators with the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit (C3I) and Officers from the Cumberland City Police Department arrested fifty-five (55) year old, Balvino Monteflores of Falls Church, Virginia and forty-six (46) year old Hugo Alvarado of Hyattsville, Maryland in conjunction with an attempted theft that occurred at the former Sacred Heart Hospital located on Seton Drive in Cumberland, Maryland.
On August 07, officials from the Allegany County Board of Education developed information that copper piping was possibly being stolen from the building that was formally known as Sacred Heart Hospital. Notification was immediately made to the Cumberland City Police Department and C3I Criminal Investigative Unit. An investigation was initiated into the reported crime and it was determined that a large quantity of copper piping was removed from several rooms in the building. Initial estimates of the value loss is approximately $4,000.00 worth of copper piping missing from the building.
A joint investigation was conducted with the Cumberland City Police Department and C3I Criminal Investigation Unit. As a result of the investigation, it was determined that employees from an Asbestos Removal Company from Baltimore, Maryland were the only individuals that had access to the building during the time period of the theft. Numerous interviews were conducted with the employees. It was determined that the employees from the Asbestos Removal Company did not have authorization to remove or tamper with any of the copper piping in the building. As a result of the interviews, physical evidence collected at the scene and the recovery of the stolen copper piping in the building, it was determined that Monteflores and Alvarado were responsible for cutting and hiding the copper piping in the building.
Monteflores and Alvarado were both criminally charged with Attempted Theft Between $1,000.00 and $10,000.00 and Malicious Destruction of Property. Upon complete of processing, both suspects will be taken before a District Court Commissioner for a bond hearing.
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