Ventura County Sheriff's Department

A detailed "Farm Watch E Newsletter" will be sent out in a week or so. We wanted to get these important details out to you fast.

BURGLARY WARNING

If you have rural farming, ranching or nursery property in the Las Posas Valley, Tierra Rejada Valley , Oxnard Plains, Santa Rosa or Santa Clara River Valley.

In the last 7 days the Sheriff's Department has responded with our deputies and CSI Unit to a sudden increase in rural burglaries at nurseries and farms. We believe that at least two of them are connected and are located 7 miles apart.

Here are the Highlights:
Waters Road - Barn - Horse Equipment
Sunset Valley Road-Tierra Rejada - Barn - Special Event Equipment
Balcom Road - Shed - Landscaping Equipment
Balcom at South Mountain Connex Boxes Ranch Welding Equipment
Bradley Road - Barn - Landscaping Equipment
Bradley Road- Nursery Grounds - 350 flats of plants
Pancho Road -Pancho Road - Trailer and Pipe
Berylwood Road- Diesel Fuel
Los Angeles Ave- Somis- Connex Box- Gardening Equipment
Foothill Drive- Santa Paula / Ventura- Forklift

What does all this mean?
The suspect(s) are using the concealment of darkness and targeting the rural locations and standard "Connex type" 20 and 40 foot boxes at unattended locations.

Who are they?
They are bold, aggressive in technique and any property is fair game. They likely blend in using farm type trucks.

What do we know about them?
They will likely have bolt cutters in their trucks. We know the same crook has hit multiple locations in the same night and that the victims have unrelated agriculture activities.
These miscreants are criminal foragers, opportunistic and will take what ever they can find.

What can you do?
Be extra vigilant, block remote access gates with heavy equipment that cant be hot wired and stolen. Install camera systems (Although one was stolen, we will mention that in our newsletter later). Teach employees to report any suspicious vehicles, often the drivers ask for casual farm work and they may also be crooks casing out your farm.
Install Motion Lights, Driveway electronic detection systems, Alarms and Reenforce your storage sheds.

ALSO:
Cancel the lookout for the White Pick Up Truck that was a suspect in last month's large diesel theft.
We had 3 Farm Watch members email tips in, and we located the truck and suspect.
We couldn't have solved this caper without your Farm Watch tips!

Be safe Farm Watch!
Tim Hagel
Captain
Ventura County Sheriff Department