Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said the discovery happened Sunday morning on the grounds of the old State Hospital property off of Bull Street in downtown Columbia.

Anthony Williams, 39, of Columbia was found hanging by a harness strapped to a frame holding electrical transformers approximately 20 feet in the air. It appears he was attempting to steal copper from the transformers, the coroner said.

Williams' body may have been there for a couple of days, according to Watts.

The coroner said a lot of the property at the location has been abandoned, but the power lines and transformers are still live.

Because the incident happened on state property, SLED is handling the criminal investigation.

Submitted on 03/19/2013

Submitted by: Kristin McMillan
Reference: wistv.com (columbia, SC Channel 10 News) March 19, 2013

Copyright © 2013 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Yet another crispy copper crook, and this time strapped to a harness no less. You'd think that these people would learn to check if the lines are live, but alas they wouldn't be Darwin nominees if they did. Thanks, Kristin!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Crispy copper-swiping crook!

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