Authorities in Weld County announced Monday night the recovery of six of seven drill bits stolen from an oil and gas site, saying they also located three more bits yet to be reported stolen.
The county sheriff’s office says the stolen bits recovered are worth a total of roughly $300,000. The office says it found the bits after receiving tips on their whereabouts.
“This case is still under investigation and possible suspects still need to be interviewed,” Cpl. Sean Standridge said in a news release. “The drill bits were dumped at an oil battery site in central Weld County. We received numerous tips so the suspect probably dumped them since everyone was looking for a green truck with these in back.”
The bits were reported stolen by the sheriff’s office on Wednesday when authorities announced they were searching for those responsible for stealing $267,000 in seven drill bits from an oil and gas site near Milliken.
“When the guys went down to get the drill bits they were gone,” Standridge said last week.
Standridge said the bits were stolen from a site operated by Canada- based Ensign Energy Services Inc., which according to company records operates at three locations in the Milliken area and throughout the county.
The Greeley Tribune reports crime in oil fields is on the rise and that thefts on oil fields across the country are approaching $1 billion a year nationally.
The kinds of sophisticated tools and materials used in the fields can lead to thefts that run from tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars, the newspaper said.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
