If you hear someone on your roof, don't think it's Santa visiting for Christmas in July: Police warn that thieves are stealing solar panels right off some buildings, including homes.
Helma Hofmeister of Granite Bay woke up a week ago to find someone had taken 16 of her 20 solar panels from her yard while she and her husband slept not 80 feet away.
"The lowest piece of scum to do that to people, it is. I'm sorry if it sounds rude," Hofmeister said. "You have no business stealing what other people work for."
The couple, on a fixed income, was still paying off the $25,000 bill for the panels.
Thefts have spread to an office complex in Rocklin, specifically, the dental office. The loss was estimated at about $60,000.
Investigators believe the cases are linked.
"About the only thing we can think of is that they're using the solar panels to use in their own businesses, their own residence or to actually sell them online, or possibly mixing them in with new solar panels that are being sold," Rocklin police Lt. Lon Milka said.
Police are planning to scour sites such as Craigslist and eBay for solar panels for sale -- all panels have serial numbers.
Investigators said it's a narrow group of people who might be stealing them.
"You have to know what to do with solar panels -- how to hook them up, how to hook up the converter box. I think there is a certain amount of expertise that has to be followed," Milka said.
Police warn potential buyers, meanwhile, to only purchase solar panels from licensed dealers.
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