FOUR people on the run after the alleged theft of a ute and other items from a rural property were found on the weekend with the help of farmers using aerial drones.

About 10am on Friday, a shed on Aerodrome Road in Kimba was broken into and a generator and other items stolen.

A second shed nearby was broken into and a white ute was taken.

The owner of the property found the vehicle and other stolen items hidden under trees on a dirt driveway about 10km east of Kimba.

As the owner was inspecting the vehicle, the four offenders arrived in a red Holden sedan but quickly fled after being confronted.

Cowell police and local farmers, who came to the owners aid, could not find the car or the offenders before nightfall.

Just after 10am the next day, a group of people flagged down a local farmer, asking for assistance after their vehicle had become bogged in remote scrubland.

Police, co-ordinating with local Country Fire Service units and farmers, set up cordons around the area.

One of the suspects was arrested when he approached the CFS, while the three others ran into the scrub.

Farmers used aerial drones to assist police, locating the three offenders as they hid nearby.

They were arrested without further incident.

A 26-year-old woman of no fixed address and three Whyalla men in their late 20s were each charged with being unlawfully on premises, two counts of serious criminal trespass, two counts of theft and misuse of a motor vehicle.

The four were refused police bail and appeared in the Whyalla Magistrates Court on Monday.

“Cowell police would like to thank locals for their assistance in locating the offenders,” a police spokesman said.

“Police work with a diverse range of agencies and community members, using a range of appropriate resources, to ensure the safety of the South Australian community.

“We will continue to do so.”