A man who stole brass plumbing devices across North County was scheduled to be sentenced today.
Michael Tracey Welton, 48, pleaded guilty to three counts of felony vandalism and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to jail records.
Welton, a Vista resident, was arrested March 31 in Escondido. Police in the North County city said Welton stole backflow devices so he could sell them to local recycling companies for cash. Backflow devices are used in all homes and businesses to keep water from flowing back into a community's water supply.
Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
—City News Service
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
