INDIANAPOLIS -- An apartment complex on the west side of Indianapolis has been dealing with some major air conditioning issues.
On a spring afternoon that feels more like a scorching summer day, living without air conditioning is not only unfavorable but also unbearable. That is exactly what several people living at Cloverleaf Apartments said they were having to deal with on Tuesday afternoon.
"Mine [thermostat] is reading 85 in my apartment right now," one resident said.
FOX59/CBS4 spoke with one woman who did not want to show her face on camera because she said she worried she would be evicted. Plenty of other residents who spoke off-camera said they had similar worries. But the resident FOX59/CBS4 did speak with said her air conditioning is out and now she is having to find new solutions.
"Went and got some screens for my front and back door," the woman said. "And we’ve just been toughing it out."
According to police records, IMPD responded to the apartments almost a month ago on reports of theft. Those records indicate that $200,000 worth of copper wiring was reported stolen.
IMPD said detectives are investigating to see if the wire thefts are connected to the broken air conditioning units.
Maintenance workers were making their rounds Tuesday afternoon trying to fix as many of the air condition units as they could. One worker told FOX59/CBS4 that thieves stole copper from at least 80 different units, but he said he started losing count after going from building to building.
A handful of neighbors said their air conditioning has been fixed after going a month without it. Others said their units have been broken for even longer and are still waiting for them to be repaired.
"I work night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.," one neighbor said. "I come home and I’m supposed to be able to sleep but it’s so hot in there I haven’t been able to. So three days a week I’m not getting sleep and then I try to sleep on the nights that I’m off when it’s kind of cool."
While some residents said they have air conditioning issues every year, they worry recent vandalism and crime in the area might only be making the issue worse.
IMPD is asking anyone with information about the copper wire thefts or broken air conditioners to call IMPD Southwest District detectives at 317-327-6400 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.