Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man Saturday for methamphetamine possession after conducting a surveillance operation to try to catch copper thieves.

Edward Lee Stair, 50, Durant, was charged Tuesday with methamphetamine possession.

Friday, railroad officials told Undersheriff Kevin Nave that someone had stolen approximately 1,000 feet of copper wire from a switching station at South Texoma Road. The thefts happened over a two-day period.

Early Saturday morning, Nave, Detective Nathan Calloway and deputies John Haislip and Billy Sprouse went to that area to try to catch the thief.

They conducted surveillance for approximately four hours, according to the affidavit, and then contacted Deputy Joey Tucker to come pick them up. As they were leaving, deputies saw a pickup stopped in the road and they noticed that Stair was the driver.

Nave made contact with Stair, who was holding a hammer as he tried to exit the vehicle, the affidavit states. Nave then closed the door back on him and told him to drop the hammer.

According to the affidavit, there was an open can of beer in the center console and Nave also found a pipe that had suspected methamphetamine residue on it. Deputies also recovered three suspected Xanax pills, wire cutters, a crow bar and other tools they said could be used for breaking and entering.

Stair was booked into jail and he was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container of beer.