Sheriff’s deputies are asking Bakersfield farmers and oil business owners to lock up their equipment after a spike in thefts near Hill and Millux roads.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ray Pruitt does not believe the robberies are coordinated but says once thieves determine an area is vulnerable they are more likely to return.

In addition to the farm tools, thieves have taken produce, oil equipment, and copper wiring to sell as scrap metal. Pruitt says deputies are working with other Central Valley law enforcement agencies to find the stolen goods and return them to their owners.

Kelli Forsch