A man accused of stealing copper from a vacant hotel in downtown Hot Springs has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Authorities say the theft was from the Majestic Hotel on Park Avenue, just above the city's busy Bathhouse Row.
The Sentinel-Record reports Richard Dewayne Clift pleaded guilty Monday to felony counts of commercial burglary and theft of scrap material.
When police stopped Clift, he allegedly had about 1,500 pounds of insulated copper wiring in the bed of his truck. A security guard saw the truck when making a routine check at the hotel. Police say Clift asked the guard to not call police because he was just trying to pay his bills. Clift drove away but the guard followed until police arrived.