Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Curry said a watchful resident helped officers identify two suspects in a scrap-metal theft north of Ottawa last week. The resident called sheriff’s officers about noon Thursday to report a suspicious vehicle in the 3800 block of Reno Road, at an abandoned farmstead now used for storage.

A deputy and sergeant then found a Gardner man and an Edgerton woman on the property, who were loading property on to a trailer pulled by an SUV. After officers were able to speak with the property owner, they later arrested the man and plan to issue a report on suspicion of trespassing to prosecutors regarding the woman, Curry said.

The sheriff also said Ottawa police and sheriff’s officers have fielded several reports of gasoline drained from parked vehicles since April 11. Most were in concentrated areas where several vehicles were parked in Ottawa and the county. Curry said the departments are asking any potential victims to report similar crimes to police, even if it was a small amount of gasoline, because it is helpful of tracking when and where the thefts occurred and may assist in apprehending suspects.