Metal-seeking vandal strikes San Diego County cancer clinic
Dozens of patients missed radiation therapy for a day because an apparent would-be metal thief ripped out copper plumbing that cools radiation machines at the outpatient clinic in Vista.
Radiation therapy couldn't be performed on dozens of cancer patients because an apparent would-be metal thief ripped out copper plumbing that cools radiation machines in a northern San Diego County outpatient clinic.
Office manager Beth Bourbeau of Oncology Therapies of Vista discovered the vandalism Wednesday, and 63 patients went without radiation therapy that day.
The copper pipes, which were left behind, would have fetched as much as $400 at a recycling center.
Plumbers and technicians worked throughout the night to repair the damage, said Amber Duff, an administrative assistant at Oncology Therapies. The two radiation machines were running when the center opened today.
Duff said the patients scheduled for treatment were disappointed but gracious.
"They knew it wasn't our fault. But when you're dealing with something like cancer, any change to your treatment schedule is disappointing. I don't think the thieves knew the depth of the problem they were creating."
San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Art Wager said there had been no arrests.
The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.
