SIKESTON, Mo. (AP) - A new Missouri law enforcement unit is taking aim at crimes committed in rural areas.
The Rural Crimes Unit hosted an informational meeting in Sikeston recently for farmers in southeast Missouri trying to cut down on livestock and equipment thefts.
Sgt. Brenda Cone, Rural Crimes Investigator for the southeast region, told KFVS-TV that thieves are also taking off with copper and fertilizer. She says farmers often let the crimes go unreported and they sometimes go unnoticed because farmers live so far from their fields.
Since the Rural Crimes Unit was created in the past year more than $2 million of equipment has been recovered.