No arrests leads to reward push in pipeline cases

Two weeks after the recent vandalism of Dakota Access Pipeline equipment, no arrests have been made and the case is still under investigation, Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty said.

Dakota Access and Precision Pipeline has been offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The sheriff issued a new press release Tuesday about the reward, encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

“There is no new information to give out for the ongoing case that is still under investigation,” Halferty said.

The latest incident took place on Oct. 15 near Reasnor causing approximately $2 million in damage to three bulldozer and an excavator. Following the incident, the sheriff’s office reported that the preliminary investigation revealed the cause to likely be arson.

The equipment is owned by contractors hired to work on the pipeline by Dakota Access, LLC and parent company Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners.

This is the second act of vandalism on pipeline equipment in Jasper County in recent months. The first took place on Aug. 1 at the same location in Reasnor and the second incident was at a site 4.5 miles west of Newton. Both of those incidents also involved equipment set on fire, with estimated damages totaling more than $3 million.

A third site, located 8.5 miles north of Oskaloosa in Mahaska County, also had equipment damaged by fire in August.

Along with the sheriff’s office, the Iowa State Fire Marshal and two federal agencies — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI — have joined in the effort to investigate the vandalism.

The 1,168-mile crude oil pipeline, where the incidents have occurred, runs through four states and 18 Iowa counties. It will connect the Bakken Oil Fields of North Dakota to a hub in Patoka, Ill. en route to Gulf Coast refineries.

Nearly 34 miles of pipe will be laid in Jasper County, and construction has been underway locally and statewide since July and was close to 80 percent complete as of Oct. 26.

Investigators are asking anyone with information regarding these incidents to contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office or the Dakota Access Vandalism Hotline at 1-855-430-4491.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com