UNION MILLS, Ind. — Stealing from farms is often not discovered until after the thieves are long gone – but the actions of one Indiana farmer who saw it happening to him could have solved a spree of similar thefts.

Matt Welsh confronted the person taking gasoline from his storage tank in Union Mills and after his arrest, the suspect revealed he had stolen fuel at several other farms in that area.

"We seen them standing there," said Welsh, who grows corn on the 40 acres where his small tank was drained April 3 at his farm, in the northwestern part of the state.

Stealing gasoline now might be surprising, with prices more than a $1.50 a gallon les than the highs of $4-plus, but the case shows theft on agricultural property is something farmers can’t presume won’t happen to them. Welsh said he heard noises and when he stepped outside to investigate he saw the gas being drained from his nearby tank.

He confronted the individuals, who immediately took off in separate vehicles. Police were called and the responding officer soon located both vehicles traveling on 900 West and pulled one of the drivers over.

The investigation led to Dean Putz, 18, found later that night at his Union Mills area home carrying an odor of gasoline. The only person arrested was Putz, who told police he also stole gas the past few days at other farms in the La Crosse and Wanatah areas, both within 10 miles of Union Mills, according to LaPorte County Police.

Police said Putz directed the officer to a nearby wooded area where he hid two six gallon cans of gas he took from the Welsh farm that night, then was booked into the LaPorte County Jail on a Class A misdemeanor theft charge; he has since posted $600 cash bond. Police Capt. Mike Kellems said the motive was not known but the gas was probably taken for the suspect to use in his own vehicle.

"It could be for a number of things," said Kellems.

Indiana Farm Bureau spokesman Andy Dietrick said thefts of gasoline on farms seem to have fallen from their peak when prices were at or near $4 a gallon, "but it’s something that people need to be aware of."

"Anytime you have a tank or anytime you have an implement parked away someplace that has a large gas tank or diesel tank, that’s a target for somebody," said Dietrick, who encourages farmers to keep their tanks locked and closely watch their neighbors’ properties for any unusual or suspicious activity.

Welsh, a victim of prior thefts on other farm ground he owns, said his tank close to the house was not locked and drained by a simple flip of a switch to turn on the pump.

"‘We haven’t had trouble for a long time," he explained.

Dietrick said theft of other items like copper wiring from irrigation systems and anhydrous ammonia, a key ingredient in the manufacture of the illegal drug crystal methamphetamine, are more critical. But any theft from a farm deserves an immediate call to law enforcement, he noted.

In LaPorte County, Kellems said the theft of anhydrous ammonia has dropped since a new recipe was developed to make meth without the chemical kept on farms for use in fertilizers.

"We don’t see as much of that thieving going on as we used to in the past," he added.

With another growing season approaching, though, irrigation systems out in the fields are expected to be targeted for their copper again, despite scrap prices leveling off.

Just last week, LaPorte County Police were investigating copper stripped from two irrigation systems on separate farms in Stillwell, a small community four miles east of the city of La Porte. Two hundred feet of wire was pulled out of three sections on the irrigation system on one of those farms, police reported.

As a result, more farmers now have alarms on their irrigation systems, said Kellems.

Dietrick said gas is also siphoned from the tanks of tractors and other farm machinery, especially those left out in the field, but one of the easy solutions is installing a gas cap that comes with a built-in locking mechanism. Keeping farm machinery in well-lighted areas can also help, said Gene Matzat, an educator with the Purdue University extension office in La Porte.

He said theft becomes more of a problem in a struggling economy or when certain farm products, such as beef, go way up in price. In some parts of the nation, he recalled a rise in incidences of cattle being slaughtered and even butchered on some farms by thieves who apparently couldn’t afford the higher supermarket cost.

"It’s always been an issue in one form or another," said Matzat.