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03/27/2008
Three arrested in alleged copper thefts

TABOR - Three people were arrested Wednesday for allegedly burning what appeared to be copper wire commonly found in a center pivot irrigation system.

At approximately 6 a.m., Fremont County Sheriff's officials were called to a report of a grass fire at the 23-mile marker of Interstate 29 near Bartlett.

When the Tabor Fire Department arrived, they found three males burning metal south of Bartlett at Crystal Lake.

Sheriff Steve MacDonald arrested Joseph William Life, 30, of Omaha; Ronald Wayne Reed, 22, of Council Bluffs; and Michael Alan Boonie, 35, of Omaha and transported them to the Fremont County Jail.

Each was charged with possession of stolen property/second-degree theft, a class D felony. They are being held in the Fremont County Jail on $5,000 bond.

The Fremont County Sheriff's Department is working with Douglas County, Neb., authorities to determine where the copper wire was stolen.

Iowa State Trooper Aaron Nordyke assisted on the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

- Heather Alexander

©SW Iowa News 2008