(La Porte County, IN) - Spring planting hasn’t even started but already thieves are out in the fields harvesting. 

La Porte County Police said about 500 feet of copper wiring was stripped from an irrigation system at a Westville area farm.  The wire was removed from the top of the irrigator and the collection ring, police said.  The estimated value of the wire was $4,000.  According to police, the farmer has insurance to cover the cost of new wire and installation. 

Police said the thieves left behind tire tracks but the markings in the soil didn’t provide clues on the type of vehicle used in the theft or direction of travel after leaving the field.