Patterson grower Dave Santos of Lucich/Santos Farms switched over to plastic irrigation fittings after thieves stole the brass ones that were likely sold to a scrap yard for cash. Patterson farmer Mike Lara stands at the scene of the crime--at his pump station along the Delta Mendota Canal where thieves rammed the junction box for his irrigation pump, ripped off the power meter and stripped the copper wiring, leaving live electrical wires exposed and several thousand dollars worth of damages. It was another case of metal theft on agricultural lands, a crime spree of growing proportions that spares no county...
