By Doug Graves

Ohio Correspondent

CANTON, Ohio – People love living in rural areas because it’s a way of getting away from the multitude of people. But make no mistake about it, there’s one thing that will follow you to these outskirts – crime.

A farmer from Stark County, Ohio, recently wrote an invalid check to a Michigan cattle farmer for $19,812 for the purchase of 22 cattle. The owners of Smilowski Family Garden attempted to cash the check but discovered the account associated with the check was already closed and didn’t have sufficient funds to fulfill the check regardless. 

Local authorities contacted the Stark County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, resulting in a potential suspect being identified. That identity was confirmed via photo lineup.

“It was discovered this individual has an extensive criminal history in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee, involving credit card fraud, check fraud, theft, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct,” Napoleon police wrote in a social media post.

Last month, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office in Tell City, Ind., made an arrest of four young men after they confessed to stealing numerous farm items valued at $30,000.

In December, a thief stole and rode tractors around farms and roads in Fulton County, Ind., leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm equipment damage in their wake. Damage to both tractors involved resulted in neither being drivable.

Six months ago, a Pike County, Ohio, man was arrested near Gallipolis after stealing a Sunflower Grain Drill from a farm. The drill is valued at $45,000. The suspect, 46, from Beaver, Ohio, was taken into custody and charged with theft.

Rural crime is a reality that many farm owners face. Unfortunately, current social and political conditions have added new dimensions to that reality. Increased population in rural areas can also lead to increased trespassing and vandalism problems. Animal activists, opponents of farm practices, or unhappy employees may interfere with farming activities or damage property and animals.

And there’s more problems. Illegal drug activity might lead to unauthorized use of the property and theft of chemicals and equipment.

Peggy Kirk Hall, an associate professor and field specialist in agricultural and resource law at The Ohio State University, says that intentional harm to farm property is a growing trend.

“Whether from trespassers, thieves, vandals, disgruntled employees, drug makers, activists, or extremists, farm security threats are a risk that farmers face these days,” Hall said. “Intruders can harm property in many ways, such as releasing or injuring livestock, stealing anhydrous or chemicals, destroying crops, contaminating water, introducing disease, setting fires or committing other acts of theft, vandalism or destruction.”

According to Hall, there are many ways to reduce such risks and impacts of harm to the farm.

“Deter intruders by enclosing and locking buildings, equipment and supplies,” Hall said. “Install bright lighting and motion detectors, and use gates as property access points. A dog or routine surveillance can also alert of an intrusion. Farmers should distance livestock, structures and equipment away from roads and easy access points.”

Property boundaries should be obvious and “no trespassing” signs should be visible. “Local law enforcement might not be willing to prosecute someone for criminal trespass if the property is not posted and marked,” she said.

Next, Hall said, farmers shouldn’t be too predictable by avoiding or disguising easily detectible routines that help someone know what’s happening on the property and when few people are around. At the same time, farmers should track incidents of suspicious activity.

“Farmers should train employees and family to recognize when someone is watching the farm, asking questions about the property, showing up with unexpected deliveries, or leaving evidence of a trespass or illegal activity,” Hall said.

Lastly, Hall said to know employees and what they’re doing.

“Investigate potential employees carefully,” Hall said. “Follow up on references and conduct background checks. Consider employee surveillance cameras for barns and critical areas. Be especially careful to keep an eye on disgruntled employees.”

These are all precautionary measures. Hall said impacted property owners should call law enforcement if they suspect a crime has been committed.

“If a crime or emergency is in progress, it’s appropriate to call or text 911 to report the event,” Hall said. “For non-emergency situations and incidents not in progress, call the sheriff or local police.”

Hall said the property should be secured and evidence preserved.

“Close gates, windows and doors, and lock up the location, being sure to keep people and animals away from the site,” Hall said. “Immediately record what you saw or heard.”

The insurance provider should also be contacted, she said.

“Your insurance policy likely requires you to give prompt notification of property damage that might be covered by the policy, such as theft or vandalism damages,” Hall said. “Failing to give prompt notice might be considered a violation of your contractual obligations under your insurance policy and could lead to a loss of your insurance coverage.”

Gary Morton, of Whitley County, Ky., has been a victim of farm theft three times in the past two years. Thieves went after his livestock the first time and targeted tools and equipment the next two times.

“I was too relaxed and that led to my troubles,” Morton said, who points to three deterring measures that he is now taking. “I kept a lot of my equipment outside in the summer and that put it on display for any passerby to see. I should have kept my farm equipment out of sight and I do that now. Secondly, I’m putting technology to work for me. I’ve invested in a security system that detects motion. I’ve also added GPS tracking to my larger farm equipment so if they do take anything, law enforcement will be able to locate and retrieve those items they’ve taken.

“But perhaps the best thing I’ve done is formed a farm watch program. I’m around three other farms and we’re all within sight of one another amongst these rolling hills here in this part of the state. We’re looking out for each other and we let the others know if we’re going to be gone for any length of time. We also take turns patrolling the area, even though our county sheriff makes his rounds, too.”