Several employees confirmed Energy Corporation of America lost more than $100,000 in equipment Saturday after its shop in Big Chimney was burglarized. Joe Farris, the company's Appalachia South director, said someone smashed a door and its surrounding concrete wall. He said they then left - possibly to listen for an alarm - and then returned to enter the building. The garage door was soon opened from the inside and the equipment disappeared in less than 30 minutes, Farris said. Everything from an F-550 truck to a microwave disappeared between 2:56 a.m. and 3:21 a.m.
"It's been a wild weekend," Farris said.
He said everything the company knows came from a distant surveillance video. Though no amount has been set, a reward is being offered for information leading to the stolen equipment. Farris urged anyone with information to call him directly at 304-925-6100.
Stolen items included the following:
n Red Ford F-550 truck
n Rancher 420 four-wheeler, 2011
n CornPro trailer with drop deck, 2010
n E42 Bobcat (recovered)
n Mechanic tools and boxes
n Plasma cutter
n MIG welder
n Two floor jacks
n Chains, binders and tools
ECA owns and operates approximately 4,400 wells, 5,000 miles of pipeline, and more than 900,000 acres in North America.