Ice cream shop closed after air conditioning unit torn apart in copper wire theft

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) - An ice cream shop in Kentucky is closed after their air conditioning unit was torn apart in an apparent copper wire theft.

Panchito’s Ice Cream is a family-owned business. Owner Jose Fabian and his wife opened their Dixie Highway location in December of last year and were looking forward to what would typically be their busiest month of the year.

Fabian said he learned about the theft when he got a call from one of his employees saying the air conditioning at the shop didn’t seem to be working.

“I contacted our A/C maintenance company, they sent a technician out here, he went on the roof, and he was surprised to see what was up there,” Fabian said. “He looked at the unit and saw that it was torn apart.”

The couple posted a photo of what was left behind of the unit to Facebook.

They were left without air conditioning in 90-degree weather, no way to stay open.

Fabian said he doesn’t know how long the replacement could take, and the hot weather could make the process even slower.

“They’re looking for a unit, and they have to rent a crane,” Fabian said. “There’s a heat wave right now, so we’re not sure how quick it can be. Everyone’s so backed up.”

Thanks to the store’s walk-in freezers, Fabian didn’t walk into a shop full of melted ice cream. He and his wife own another location, on Preston Highway, and are trying to schedule their employees at that location while the unit gets replaced.

“We’re trying to move the employees at this location to our Preston Highway location so they don’t lose any hours of work. and we’re just going to try to keep them employed for as long as we possibly can,” Fabian said.

In the meantime, the couple is losing customers in the middle of their peak season.

“I was in here in the morning, we’re getting ready to be closed for a couple of days, and I kept seeing families and big groups of people coming,” Fabian said. “It’s hot outside today. They’re trying to cool off with some ice cream, and I can’t serve them. They were shocked. When I told them what happened, they couldn’t believe it,” Fabian said.

These kinds of copper wire thefts have been an ongoing issue in the Louisville area.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is currently offering a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest after light poles on Kentucky highways were repeatedly targeted.

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