Naperville Cops Probe Theft Of 80 Tons Of Road Salt

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- There is a search for 80 tons of stolen property in Naperville, but finding it may be tough.

A small mountain of road salt apparently was whisked away in the middle of the night.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.

On Thursday, there was nothing but a gaping, empty space where, just a week ago, it was filled by about 80 tons of salt. That's about 80 bathtubs full – stolen somehow, sometime last week.

It belonged to Steve Miller, Inc., a snow and ice removal company, and was stored in an unsecured Naperville spot. Access was admittedly easy -- especially to those with means and motive.

"We're suspecting they used a dump truck and maybe some kind of skid loader," says Naperville Police Sgt. Bill Davis.

Company owner Steve Miller says road salt is at a premium right now, in demand and expensive. He says cost per ton has tripled since the beginning of salting season.

Police are still checking security cameras near the salt pile - hoping for some clues.

Steve Miller says the stolen salt is valued at about $10,000 and would cover two to three salt applications. The company has never had a salt theft before, he says.