LA PORTE, Ind. — Sending a northern Indiana man to prison could send a message that discourages the act of stripping copper from irrigation systems, a major issue for several years in the agriculture communities.

Even more of a deterrent, perhaps, is the more than $60,000 the defendant must pay to compensate farmers for the repairs. James Huspek-Hein Jr. of Wanatah was sentenced May 20 in LaPorte County Circuit Court to three years in prison, on three counts of Level 6 felony theft under a plea agreement.

He must also make full restitution of the $65,000 he was ordered to pay by the end of his three years on probation that he will begin serving after his release from prison. Any unpaid balance will automatically be converted into a civil judgment, allowing the victims to file a lawsuit against Huspek-Hein to try to collect a full refund, according to courtroom officials.

During a two-week period late last summer, Huspek-Hein and a second individual charged in the case, Uriah Price of Valparaiso, stripped copper wire from irrigation systems at farms in the Westville and Union Mills area, police said.

According to police, both men either drove into or parked near the fields, then walked to the irrigation systems, where they spent up to two hours at each location removing the copper wire. The wire was taken to the home of Huspek-Hein where the rubber insulation was burned off. The stolen wire from each farm was sold to a nearby scrap yard.

Huspek-Hein was convicted of thefts from three farms that, combined, produced a return in scrap value of about $500.

Charges against Price are still pending, but courtroom testimony indicates the same sentence for the second defendant is being offered by prosecutors in their ongoing plea negotiations with his defense.

The case fell under Indiana’s 2014 farm trespassing law that enhances trespassing on agricultural property from a misdemeanor to a felony if property damage ranges from $750-$50,000 at each location. Exceeding $50,000 in damages makes the trespassing a Level 5 felony.

Indiana Farm Bureau (IFB) spokesman Andy Dietrick said the cost of copper being stripped from irrigation systems is more than just the repair bill. Usually, victims have insurance but there’s often a deductible coming out of the pockets of farmers – along with the potential for crop loss from temporarily not being able to provide adequate water.

Losses, especially during the dry summer months, can start happening if an irrigation system is down for repairs longer than two weeks, he pointed out.

Dietrick said theft of copper on farms is enough of an issue for Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance to offer programs that help farmers recover monetarily and reduce the odds of becoming a victim.

IFB also cooperates with local enforcement in offering rewards for information leading to a conviction of copper thieves, and works at prevention by educating farmers on the need to watch each other’s property for any suspicious activity.

"If you can spend a little money up front to keep that loss from happening or mitigating that loss, then that’s money saved in the long run and a lot of headache and a lot of heartache and a lot of down production time," said Dietrick.