BELL CITY, Mo. -- Staking out the Mesler Southeast CO-OP facility near Bell City paid off when area law enforcement officials arrested four people allegedly attempting to steal anhydrous ammonia on April 15.

Participating in the arrests were the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department, the SEMO Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Those arrested included Stephan D. Beedle, 19, of Sikeston, William D. Patrick, 20, of Sikeston, Donna Washburn, 17, of Benton and Velma O'Hara, 30, of Sikeston.

Patrick is currently being held on $50,000 cash bond.

O'Hara and Washburn are each being held on $25,000 cash bonds. Beedle is being held on a $75,000 cash bond. All four suspects have been charged with attempted stealing and possession of drug paraphernalia.

"It's a pretty hot spot because it's real isolated," Fowler said of the Mesler Southeast CO-OP facility. "They hit it quite often."

Fowler said most of the people caught attempting to steal anhydrous at the co-op are from out of the area.

"We've caught people from as far away as Little Rock, Ark. and a lot from northern Arkansas, such as Blythville and Paragould," Fowler said. "A trooper stopped some people up here one time from Memphis that had a map with Mesler marked on it," Fowler said. "Among the dopers it's fairly commonly known."

There is no fence, nor any form of security to keep suspects such as these from stealing anhydrous. Fowler said adding security at the site is cost-prohibitive for the co-op owners.