A Waterloo contractor has been arrested for allegedly stealing copper from a historic church, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. 35 year old Anthony Tucker was hired to renovate a back entrance to Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. Instead he is accused of stripping copper molding and fixtures from the 111 year old church. This included the copper ring encircling the base of the church’s iconic octagonal dome. Two copper panels were also taken from inside the church and copper pipes were cut from the boiler room. Tucker was found to have turned in 608 pounds of copper to Alter Metal Recycling in May. He was paid just over $2,000 for the haul. The church renovation is currently at a standstill as construction permits were never taken out and the copper elements cannot be replaced. The church, which was built in 1911, is on the National Register of Historic Places, although in 2017 it was named one of the most endangered buildings by Preservation Iowa.
