MULBERRY - The Polk County city of Mulberry was without power for more than an hour Thursday, and deputies say a criminal is to blame.

Investigators believe it was caused by the theft of copper wire from the TECO Moores Lane power station.

The power outage affected about 4,000 homes and all traffic lights in Mulberry, so police officers had to go to some intersections to direct traffic.

Power was restored around noon.

Investigators say the theft caused more than $500,000 worth of damage.

Deputies are investigating the theft, but they have no suspects yet. They say the same suspects may be responsible for the theft of copper wire from the TECO Imperial Lakes power station on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Det. Ian Rylott at 1-800-226-0344 or (863) 499-2400, or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.