The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies have arrested two men in connection with the theft of irrigation equipment as investigators continue to investigate a recent increase in agricultural thefts across the county.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Busts Alleged Irrigation Equipment Thieves
According to a press release issued Tuesday, Franklin County has experienced several thefts over the past few weeks involving brass sprinklers taken from irrigation systems.
While the individual parts may not seem especially valuable, replacing them can cost farmers thousands of dollars and disrupt irrigation operations during the growing season.
The suspects were obviously trying to steal the brass from the irrigation components
Brass Sprinkler Thefts Cost Franklin County Farmers Thousands
On July 14th, deputies responded to a reported theft on Crestloch Lane.
When the deputies arrived, they found one person allegedly removing brass sprinklers from irrigation equipment while another suspect was fleeing the area in a vehicle at a high rate of speed.
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The suspect arrested at the scene was identified as 47-year-old Rafael Alvarez-Meraz.
Deputies later located the speeding vehicle and arrested the second suspect, identified as 46-year-old Roberto Chavez Duenas.
Both men were booked into the Franklin County Correctional Center on charges of felony theft and trespassing.
Anyone with information related to this case or other agricultural thefts is encouraged to contact Detective Gardner at 509-545-3501 or 509-628-0333.
If you see anything suspicious, call the police, as in this instance, the deputies were able to capture the suspects in the act, and that’s half the battle for our law enforcement officials.
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Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals