Sheriff’s Office Hunting for Farm Vandals

The Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding whoever committed recent acts of vandalism against farm equipment in Santa Maria. Earlier this week, the department’s Rural Crimes team responded to reports of three damaged celery-harvesting machines and two damaged tractors — owned by OSR Enterprises — on the 1800 block of West Main Street.

The harvesting machines suffered flattened tires, slashed conveyor belts, and snipped electrical wires, water hoses, and hydraulic levers; the vandalism rendered the machines inoperable. The tractors had their tires flattened and electrical lines cut, too, and one of them was turned on so that it drove into an irrigation canal. The Sheriff’s Office has estimated the damage at $70,000.

Anyone with information on the crimes is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 934-6512.