After a rash of urinal thefts in Birmingham, Alabama, things finally came to a head.
Investigators said the culprits were a father-son team who stole flush valves and supply lines from fast-food restaurants.
The alleged toilet thieves are suspected in more than a half-dozen theft throughout Birmingham and Jefferson County in recent days.
The suspected commode crooks have not been publicly named, but Birmingham police took the them into custody on Thursday.
Investigators tracked down one of the suspects, a 44-year-old man, after pictures were taken of him selling the urinal parts at scrapyards on Wednesday.
Birmingham police Lt. Sean Edwards said he believes one of the suspects is a plumber.
"There was a lot of plumbing equipment. Believe it or not, one of the individuals is a plumber," Edwards told KCTV5.com. "Unfortunately he was using his skills, his craft to fund his illegal activities."
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman Randy Christian said the stolen pipes were not made of copper and have little scrap value.
"I really don't know what we have on our hands here. The first thought would be scrap, but these items would bring very little money," Christian told Al.com. "Maybe we have a plumber that is trying to cut his overhead cost, or some nut with a fetish I haven't heard of. To say this is an unusual theft case really doesn't do it justice."
The alleged thieves are now in custody, but Christian said it's important to get to the bottom of the case.
"Now that we know the who and the what, I can't wait to find out the why," he told Al.com.
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