Two Albany Men Charged With Stealing Storm Grates

Authorities have charged two Albany men with stealing four tons of storm grates from suburban parking lots and selling them as scrap metal.

Police tell local media outlets that 44-year-old John Gulnick and 43-year-old David Kuehl have been charged on grand larceny charges after stealing storm grates from the village of Menands, just north of Albany.

Authorities say the men are suspected of stealing the grates from private parking lots in Menands and another Albany suburb. Each of the grates weighed about 200 pounds, and police say Gulnick and Kuehl stole a total of 8,000 pounds of grates.

Menands police first noticed the thefts last week and used surveillance photos to identify the suspects.

Both men are being held in the county jail. It couldn’t immediately be determined if they have lawyers.