FARMINGTON - The Dakota County Sheriff's Office is investigating a series of copper wire thefts taken primarily from irrigation systems in southern Dakota County. One additional theft involved a large amount of copper wire from a gravel pit.
According to Sheriff Dave Bellows, the thieves enter into farm fields during the night, stripping the copper wire that runs along the length of the irrigator which powers the wheels.
This type of wire is heavy gage and runs several hundred feet in length.
Over the past several weeks, the sheriff's office has responded to five thefts with a combined loss of nearly $15,000. Typically the copper is then sold to scrap metal dealers. Additional thefts of copper have occurred in northern Goodhue County and may be related to Dakota County's.
Sheriff Bellows asks residents in the rural areas of Dakota County to report any suspicious activity they see in farm fields or gravel pits. He also asks that scrap metal dealers obtain the identification of individuals attempting to sell large amounts of copper wire and to advise the sheriff's office.
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These types of thefts were common several years ago when scrap metal prices were much higher than they are now.
Anyone with information can call the Dakota County Sheriff's Office at 651-438-4700 or the tip line at 651-438-TIPS (8477).
