HONOLULU -- Prosecutors said it took a massive investigation to document the equally massive theft of copper from Oahu highways.

They told Honolulu TV station KITV that a total of 10 people were indicted Tuesday for copper thefts that darkened major roadways and will cost tax payers millions of dollars to repair.

Prosecutors said they credit the collaboration police and sheriffs and a new law that enabled them to put together a paper trail the linked the thieves to the wire they'd stolen.

Under the lead of James "Freeway Jimmy" Taylor, police said three years of thefts darkened the rural H-1 and H-12 highways in Hawaii. "He's the guy who would identify the targeted light poles. He came up with the scheme to disguise what they were doing," Marter said.

Prosecutors said the thieves had several ways of disguising themselves while they ripped out the wiring. Sometimes they would put out gas cans or lift the hood to look like a disabled motorists, they would pretend to be sick or even climb into large garbage bag to look like rubbish stacked alongside the roadway.

Prosecutors said copper thefts dropped dramatically after Freeway Jimmy was arrested in June.