Missing Radioactive Rod Located In Reeves County
By: Dylan Brooks
Updated: October 5, 2012
REEVES COUNTY -- A radioactive oilfield rod that went missing in West Texas nearly a month ago has been found.
Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter says that an oil field pumper found the rod lying on top of a graded oil lease road in Reeves County on the night of October 4th.
The pumper identified the rod and called authorities immediately.
The rod -- which can cause radiation poisoning if held for a long period of time -- went missing on the morning of September 11th.
A crew used the rod at a southern Reeves County well site along TX 18 (about 7 miles from where it was located) around 5 AM on September 11th, but it was retrieved by a Halliburton transport crew and placed into a work truck.
The truck then drove down F.M. 1788, to a well site about 20 miles south of the Midland County-Upton County border.
Once at the second work site, Halliburton workers found out that the rod was missing.
Several law enforcement agencies searched for the rod for several weeks, without success.
The Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin also sent the 6th Civil Support Team -- a Texas National Guard unit based in Austin with specialized equipment that can be used to locate radioactive material -- to find the rod on September 13th. The unit was called away from the search 3 days later.
The rod was in Halliburton's possession Friday.
Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter says that an oil field pumper found the rod lying on top of a graded oil lease road in Reeves County on the night of October 4th.
The pumper identified the rod and called authorities immediately.
The rod -- which can cause radiation poisoning if held for a long period of time -- went missing on the morning of September 11th.
A crew used the rod at a southern Reeves County well site along TX 18 (about 7 miles from where it was located) around 5 AM on September 11th, but it was retrieved by a Halliburton transport crew and placed into a work truck.
The truck then drove down F.M. 1788, to a well site about 20 miles south of the Midland County-Upton County border.
Once at the second work site, Halliburton workers found out that the rod was missing.
Several law enforcement agencies searched for the rod for several weeks, without success.
The Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin also sent the 6th Civil Support Team -- a Texas National Guard unit based in Austin with specialized equipment that can be used to locate radioactive material -- to find the rod on September 13th. The unit was called away from the search 3 days later.
The rod was in Halliburton's possession Friday.
