Thieves in the night

Although living in a rural area is still very safe, some years show an uptick of thievery. A local rancher had his shop tools stolen. Either the thieves were lucky that he wasn’t around or they had watched for a while to learn his habits. It was the same result and he was cleaned out.

When two county highway department men were sitting in their pickup down by our mailbox, 100 yards from our house and we didn’t know who they were, my husband walked down to get the mail and in turn, investigate. After they all had a conversation, my husband came back and said that someone had been stealing the “street sign” aluminum posts from around the area. These are 911 signs and they have been in place for less than two years. They could mean the difference in life and death if an emergency vehicle was looking for a marked road. The signs are gone too, but apparently it was the posts that were the main interest. The missing signs seem to have been stolen from points with very little traffic and perhaps even taken during the night. The supposition is that they are valuable as recyclables and if mixed in with older items and weighed in, likely the fact that the posts are nearly new would go unnoticed.

We are warned to lock our gas tanks, be very careful of fertilizer storage and be observant. Yet, years ago when one neighbor caught gas thieves red handed and held them at gunpoint until the sheriff arrived, the culprits got off with a scolding from the judge. Without certain proof, no arrests were made. They were suspected in additional mischief but we Americans follow the innocent until proven guilty theory. Now others have taken their places.

Big round hay bales can be a hot commodity, in more ways than one. A pickup pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with bales is a common sight. One farmer didn’t catch the culprits in the act, but he noticed the bale numbers had been reduced. At this time of year unbranded baby calves are infrequently snatched. They are not nearly as inviting as irrigation pipe or hay as they have to be fed and kept healthy, not such an easy task.

Though we don’t have a formal neighborhood watch program, locals are aware and observant for anything or anyone who looks out of place. The men especially stop and visit on their travels around the community, often pulling their pickups off to the side of the road for a chat. Word gets around, good or bad news, joys and tragedies. That is just how it is in the country.

Sanders is a national-award winning columnist who writes from the family farm in southwestern South Dakota. Her email is peggy@peggysanders.com.