Three Pike County men have been charged in the theft of more than 16,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the Sanderson Farms processing plant on River Ridge Road, according to the Pike County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Mark Shepherd said the arrests are the result of an investigation that began in July. According to sheriff’s reports, the fuel was taken during a series of thefts that occurred from January to July.
Charged were:
• Russell Phillips, 35, 1027 Phillips Hill Road, Summit, four counts of possession of stolen property and four counts of conspiracy to possess stolen property. Phillips also is charged in an unrelated indictment with felonious bad check.
• Walter C. Eubanks, 37, 1103 Sherman Road, Magnolia, four counts of embezzlement and four counts of conspiracy to commit embezzlement.
• Clarence Burton Jr., 44, 1110 Reo Lane, Magnolia, four counts of grand larceny and four counts of conspiracy to commit grand larceny.
Phillips was released on $76,000 bond. Eubanks and Burton, former Sanderson Farms employees, remained in the county jail this morning in lieu of $75,000 bond each.
The men are accused of taking the diesel and then selling it to others.
Shepherd said the arrests were made late Tuesday night and early Wednesday after deputies executed search warrants at Phillips’ and Burton’s homes.
He said deputies seized an 18-foot trailer containing a 500-gallon steel tank and a 120-gallon plastic tank with a pump and nozzle, a dual-wheel Ford F-250 pickup with tanks and a pump and nozzle, a four-wheel drive GMC pickup truck, and a small excavator that were believed to have been used in the alleged thefts and diesel sales.
More arrests are possible in the case, Shepherd said.
According to sheriff’s reports, authorities became involved in the case when investigators received a tip that someone was selling diesel fuel at a low price.
The investigation led to Phillips, who was allegedly selling the fuel to people in the area. Investigators said people would hear about Phillips, contact him, and he would deliver the fuel.
Authorities are asking people who bought any of the alleged stolen diesel to call sheriff’s investigators at 783-2324.
People who admit to buying the fuel will not be charged, Shepherd said, adding, “if we find out that someone bought fuel, they will face criminal charges.”
Investigators said the fuel was taken from Sanderson Farms in small amounts during the seven-month period, adding that company officials assisted in the investigation by providing records that indicated the fuel losses.
Besides sheriff’s investigators, Mississippi Department of Agriculture Theft Bureau agents, state Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks officers, Southwest Mississippi Narcotics Enforcement Unit agents, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents and the Mississippi Highway Patrol participated in the investigation and the arrests.
