BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Rural crime is escalating across Kern County's vast agricultural and oil-producing regions, creating mounting challenges for farmers and energy companies who face repeated thefts and property damage on their expansive properties.

Steve Murray, co-founder of Murray Family Farms, recently discovered criminals had broken into a barn he rents, stealing everything inside, including two trailers and approximately three semi-truck loads of metallic equipment.

"We had two trailers here. So they stole our trailers. And then they stole there was probably three semi loads of metallic equipment that was in here. And so they stole the everything that was inside of here came back, and then they stole half of the fence," Murray said.

The persistent nature of rural crime is

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