MILFORD, DEL. — Perdue Farms reported a theft of approximately $30,000 worth of chicken at its Milford, Del., plant.

Following the report, the Milford Police Department began investigating the theft, which led to charges against four people. The detectives determined that Lorenzo Jones Jr., 40, orchestrated the theft along with three conspirators, Kenneth Smith, 40, Lloyd Dukes, 44, and Leroya Buck, 37.

After several weeks of investigating, the police discovered that Jones, Duke and Smith had removed cases of raw chicken from the facility on multiple occasions and would drop the chicken off at a predetermined location outside of Perdue’s property, where Buck would pick them up in a refrigerated truck.

All four persons were arrested and charged with counts of theft $1,500 or greater and second-degree conspiracy.

The defendants will later appear before the Kent County Court of Common Pleas for a preliminary hearing.