MAYERSVILLE — Even a crop duster was involved in what must have been a slow-speed chase to bring to justice three Greenville men who pleaded guilty Monday to burglary and grand larceny committed in the vast farm fields of the lower Mississippi Delta.

Cedric Mason, 22, Elliot Taylor, 25, and Reginald Barnes, 20, admitted their crime before 9th Circuit District Court Judge Isadore Patrick in the Issaquena County Courthouse. Jurors had been selected for their trial, which was scheduled to start later that day. Patrick set sentencing for Oct. 16.

The trail to the trial started more than three years ago, Assistant District Attorney Mike Bonner.

Early on the afternoon of May 19, 2004, Kenneth Hendrix III, a farmer from Mayersville, was driving along Mississippi 1 North. As he passed by the home of Rodney Edwards, located about 8 miles out of town, he noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked in Edwards’ driveway.

Hendrix pulled in, but as he approached, four men jumped into a vehicle, fired a shot in Hendrix’ direction and headed off.

Bonner said Hendrix followed the vehicle and, in the meantime, used his farmer-to-farmer radio to notify others in the area of the suspected burglars on the run. One of those Hendrix summoned was his father, Kenneth Hendrix Jr,

The burglars’ getaway car soon blew out a tire, eventually forcing them to take off on foot into cotton and corn fields along Gore Road. By that time, several farmers were involved in the pursuit.

“I believe a combine was used at one point and there was even a crop duster flying above and relaying the position of the burglars to the farmers down below,” Bonner said. Another shot was fired by the burglars, this time in the direction of Kenneth Hendrix Jr., but to no avail. Five hours and a miles-long chase later, the farmers handed the burglars over to the Issaquena County Sheriff’s Department.

“This was definitely one of the more unusual arrests I’ve seen,” Bonner said.

All of the stolen items except for one firearm were recovered and returned to Edwards.

Records show Taylor is a prior convicted felon and was on parole at the time of the robbery. With his guilty plea, he faces a minimum three-year sentence. Otherwise, the maximum sentence for all three is 30 years and a $20,000 fine.

Charges relating to the shots fired by the burglars were filed, but they were dropped after both Hendrixes said the rounds didn’t appear to be directed at them.

As for the fourth defendant, Robert Brown, 24, also of Greenville, He faces the same charges, but did not appear in court. Word is that he’s being sought by the Issaquena County Sheriff’s Department.