Within this past year five farmers in eastern Sequoyah County have been robbed, their land has been used as a trash dump and their crops have been destroyed.

Farmers in the Moffett area are teaming up with local law enforcement agencies to come up with a plan to keep thieves out and trash off their property.

Richard Cosner, who owns farmland with his brother Tom, said the local farmers met with Ron Lockhart, Sequoyah County sheriff, and came up with a plan to keep thieves off their farmland.

Cosner said Lockhart spent two hours with the farmers and Cosner believes the meeting was beneficial.

“He’s going to create crime watcher signs and increase patrolling,” Cosner said.

“Between all the farmers in the area,” Cosner said, “four tractors have been stolen, along with 1,000 gallons of diesel, tractor batteries, radiators, and tools.

“You don’t realize how much they’ve taken until you need that tool next. So you may not even realize it’s gone until the next time you need it,” Cosner said.

Cosner said, “Our shop was broken into in April and there was about $2,500 worth of tools and smaller items taken.

“It adds up. Farming equipment is expensive,” Cosner said.

Lockhart said he will be making and posting no trespassing, no dumping, and crime watch signs.

Lockhart said he is going to set up a program in which the farms link together and report back to the sheriff’s office when they see something suspicious on their land.

“We will also have extra patrols in that area when ever we can,” Lockhart said. “When you are understaffed its hard to get patrol units out.”

On Aug. 14 farmer Kenneth Williams said he was spraying his crops after dark and saw three four-wheelers driving on his soybean field.

Williams said he drove the tractor he was on behind some trees and climbed in his truck. He said he kept his lights off and drove to where he didn’t think he could be seen.

“Two four-wheelers went into the woods and one headed straight to my tractor,” Williams said. “The person on the four-wheeler turned it off.”

Williams said he believes the person, later identified as Casino “Tim” Palmer, must have heard him because he got back on and took off.

“I went after him to see who it was. I got the four-wheeler stopped and we scuffled a little. I restrained him until the deputies arrived,” Williams said.

“I just bought the tractor,” Williams said, “It has a very expensive GPS system. I believe if I wouldn’t have been there I wouldn’t have the GPS system.”

Palmer was arrested and taken to the Sequoyah County Jail and booked for public intoxication and trespassing.

“We are going to make a conscious effort as a farming community to get these crimes on our lands stopped,” Williams said.