A crash on Highway 158 outside Conway Friday morning led troopers to discover $200,000 worth of copper wire reportedly stolen from a Virginia solar farm.

Trooper J.D. Warren of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said he and Trooper M.S. Smith responded to the crash around 7:30 a.m. and discovered a U-Haul van had overturned, spilling spools of copper wire into a yard.

The troopers determined the driver had fled. Warren said there is the possibility another person may have been driving a car and the driver of the U-Haul fled with them.

The troopers contacted local power companies to determine if they had any recent thefts. According to the power company, the wire appeared to be used at a solar farm.

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The troopers contacted the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia and in speaking to an investigator learned that a solar farm in Gretna, which is located between Danville and Lynchburg, had been broken into sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning.

Warren said troopers are still trying to locate and determine who may have been driving and who rented the U-Haul.

Warren said the troopers believe the driver may have fallen asleep.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the highway patrol at 252-200-3490, the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office at 252-534-2611, or Northampton County Crime Stoppers at 252-534-1110.