The Pike County Sheriff’s Department is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in the theft of 2,000 feet of wire from a center pivot irrigation system located in a field on Highway 130 in the Monticello area.

Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas said, apparently, the wire was taken for its copper content.

“The wire that was stripped amounted to about a half mile,” Thomas said. “That’s a good amount of copper and a tremendous loss to the farmer. The investigation is ongoing and we are working with Barbour and Geneva counties to make an arrest and also with Coffee County where someone has been stealing wire out of chicken houses.”

Thomas said anyone having any information about the theft of the wire from the irrigation system is encouraged to call the Pike County Sheriff’s Department at 334-566-4347. The call can be anonymous unless the cash reward is sought.

The sheriff’s department has made three arrests, including a 17-year-old juvenile, in connection with the illegal dumping of tires.

Arrested and charged with criminal littering were Blake Lockley, 23, 2135 County Road 1149, Troy and William Gay, 19, County Road 6642, Banks.

Thomas said that nearly 400 tires were illegally dumped at four locations in the county.

“A farmer in the Banks area drove out in his hayfield on County Road 6621 and found 95 18-wheeler tires that had been dumped there,” Thomas said. “Seventy 18-wheeler tires were found in a nearby hay field and about 10 tires were found on County Road 6619 near Josie.”

Thomas said about 300 tires were taken out of a creek on County Road 6624. “Those arrested were made to clean up the fields and the side of the road and haul the tires to a landfill,” Thomas said. “It cost them more than $500 to have the tires properly disposed of.”