Rural crime is up. And I don't mean meth - which, while unarguably tragic to the victims - is nowhere near as widespread as publicized.
I'm talkin plain ol' commodity theft.
The man, arrested earlier this year, was ax-cut-deep in a growing problem for America's farm belt: rural commodity theft, or "plaid-collar crime." From lush Hawaii to the Carolina plains, artichoke absconders, nut nappers, tree thieves, and even cattle rustlers are plucking, picking, hauling, and siphoning commodities from diesel to mangosteens at impressive rates. Loss is a familiar concept to a farmer. But such audacious heists have prompted many to go on the offensive to police America's wide-open spaces. [More]
While others are worried about Islamists somehow threatening the heartland, some good ol' homeboys are gonna pick our pockets.
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