Missing wind turbine may not have been stolen

SHERMAN, WISCONSIN - A 135-foot wind turbine reported missing in the Town of Sherman may not have been stolen after all.

The owner reported the missing machine the morning of August 16, but investigators said they located the taker, and that person may have had a right to do so, said Capt. Dave Adams of the Sheboygan County SheriffÂ’s Department.

“The sheriff’s department has located a party that was hired to take it down by an individual who claimed to have a right to it, and now we’re trying to determine if they legally took it or not,” he said.

The giant steel structure, valued at $15,000, was last seen Aug. 11 on a 38-acre plot at N1742 Highway I, Adams said. The wind turbine was reported missing by Randall Schramm, 56, of Muskego, who owns turbine and the property, which he rents out.

Removing the wind turbine would have been no small task: The 120-foot galvanized steel base weighs in at 8,200 pounds, and the three approximately 15-foot fiberglass and Kevlar blades and hub tack on another 2,500 pounds, according to the manufacturerÂ’s Web site.

Schramm bought the turbine used about six years ago, using it to supply power for a house on the property and to sell power to an area electric company, Adams said. The wind turbine generated 17.5 kilowatts of power.