A Prairie du Rocher man was arrested in connection with the theft of copper wiring last week in Randolph County.

Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters said John C. Jones, 52, has been charged in the case.

Deputies were called to the Fred Weber Inc. Rock Quarry on Bluff Road during the early morning hours of Jan. 24 for a theft in progress. The individual had left the scene prior to police arrival. Representatives from the quarry identified a large amount of copper wiring stolen from the conveyer equipment at the facility – a monetary loss estimated in excess of $35,000 including material, damages and repair.

Investigators quickly identified Jones as a possible suspect who was believed to reside at a location near Bluff Road in rural Monroe County. Police executed a search warrant later that day at this location and recovered a large quantity of copper wire connected to the quarry theft.

Police encountered another male subject on Jones’ property, who identified himself as a resident. This subject was identified as 49-year-old Eric F. Roberts, a convicted felon who was found to be in possession of a firearm. Roberts was arrested and turned over to Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputies.

Roberts is in custody at the Monroe County Jail on a charge of unlawful possession of weapon by a felon with bond set at $30,000.

On Friday, Randolph County deputies coordinated with Monroe County deputies to locate and arrest Jones. He was arrested later that day near Renault and transported to the Randolph County Jail with bond set at $100,000. 

Peters urges anyone with information concerning this case or any related case to contact his detective division at 618-826-5484, ext. 507.

“I would like to thank our law enforcement partners to the north at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance with this investigation,” Peters said. “I would also like to thank my staff for their dedication to working this case so efficiently and effectively. Our investigators and deputies each played an integral role in this case, from examining and processing the crime scene, to search warrant execution, to Jones’ eventual arrest. I consider us lucky to have such a dedicated group of deputies working for Randolph County.”