A dairy farmer is out more than $200,000 after his brand new equipment was stolen.
Seventy-one-year-old Roger Smith has been a dairy farmer in Denair for more than five decades. In that time, he said his family farm has grown exponentially.
“We farm about 1,200 acres and milk about 900 plus cows,” Smith said.
Everyday, he relies on 22 staff members and plenty of heavy machinery to feed the cows. At the end of the workday Saturday, everyone and everything was in place.
But Sunday morning, around 4 a.m., there was something missing in the shed. His brand new feeder truck worth $230,000 disappeared.
“That’s when we decided we were… we have a problem,” Smith said.
Smith said it took six months to customize every feature on his 2016 model Kenworth T-800.
“Live drive, disk breaks, 46,000 rear axel, automatic transmission — so it’s a little bit special, and all those things cost more money,” Smith said. “It’s the little things. The little things.”
With so many vehicles on his farm, Smith said he usually keeps keys in the ignition. He believes the thief must have known that and is probably experienced in driving large equipment.
“It’s just a lot of things most people won’t understand. And they did,” Smith said.
Now, he is down to one truck to feed all 900 of his cows. He is hoping someone somewhere will notice it and bring it back in one piece.
“It’s a big disappointment, but I haven’t quite given up on finding it yet, though,” Smith said.
Smith said he does have insurance on the truck, but sees this as a huge loss. He learned his lesson and now stores all his keys in a different location.
California Highway Patrol does have report on the theft and is working to find the truck.
Source: Fox40
