# Hive Theft ring busted in Weedpatch



## matt1954 (Sep 8, 2010)

I cannot stand when someone takes short cuts to profitability by stealing from someone who has put their hard work, blood, sweat and tears into an operation. I hope he gets hammered. He is lucky he is not in Virginia. They would put him under the jail here for an Ag theft.


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## tdsiders (Jan 30, 2013)

They need to make an example.
Only 15000 bail??


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

Matt 1954, I feel the same way about thieves! 
JW Chesnut, interesting that their bail was less than the value of the property they stole, and what happen to the weed?


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Bust site in GE. Nothing suspicious (other than valley trash) in the August 13 image?. I believe I see hives in the 4/2011 image (turn on "historical imagery") in the View menu. Which might mean a long running operation. Can't move 256 hives on pallets without a skidsteer, low boy or flatbed. There will be license plates, and lots more records. Can't market them to a almond farmer without a cell phone and such. The low-ball bail might be because the paint shop peon gave up some names.


Email commentary says the hives were being repainted in Bright Orange bodies and White tops. Anyone remember something that obvious.


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## Jon B (Apr 24, 2013)

Very frustrating to hear about stolen hives. I had an an entire bee yard stolen about seven years ago. The thief was never caught.


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## matt1954 (Sep 8, 2010)

From personal experience, when I arrested someone on a theft charge, the Federal magistrate would ask what my recommendation on bond was. If the defendant did not have a prior record, had ties to the community, children, married, etc. , bail was typically set at 50% of the amount stolen. I don't see this bail as unreasonable. The purpose of bail, is and always will be, I hope, sufficient to ensure the defendant appears in court for all proceedings and not based on anger. If bail is excessive, you encourage defendants to fight it out with the police instead of cooperating with the process. This could potentially lead to civilian injuries if the defendant is hell bent on staying out of jail.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It is always good to see thieves get caught. A rarity in our world...


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

tdsiders said:


> They need to make an example.
> Only 15000 bail??


Thats what I was thinking, bail should be AT LEAST $40,000.00, the value of the colonies, but it shout be increased for the inconvenience caused the owners too!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It's only bail. The purpose of bail is to make sure people show up for trial. They are assumed innocent until they have a trial and are found otherwise. If they are found guilty, then you consider what is a fair punishment. Bail is not intended to be punishment.


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

I know its only a deposit on a promise to appear, but $15,000.00 is nothing. Ive seen plenty of people skip, and since this would probably be considered a low priority case, no one is gonna go look for him, while he is off committing more crime like this, inconveniencing more people. 
JMHO


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Additional Details -- 
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.c...44/Stolen-bees-recovered-from-local-chop-shop

""" Another man believed to have sold the stolen bees to Pena remains at large, Kern County Sheriff's Detective Casey Brunsell said.

At least some of the bees had been brought to town from North Dakota for next month's almond pollination, the biggest honeybee event in the country.

While bee theft is a fairly common occurrence in Kern County, Brunsell said Saturday's recovery of 256 hives -- each containing a few thousand bees -- stands apart.

"This is probably one of the bigger recoveries I'm aware of in recent memory," he said.

One of the victims, North Dakota beekeeper Joe Romance, said he helped recover the bees by acting on a tip from an associate suspicious of Pena's offer to rent out some of the bees.

Romance, who had only noticed the bees missing the day before, went to Pena's house in the 6100 block of Panama Lane, saying he was an almond grower looking for bees to rent.

A representative for Pena's North Dakota employer, R G Bees Inc., said Pena did not have access to a truck or a loader and did not appear to have stolen the bees himself. He added that his company's bees had not been stolen."""



Quality paint job.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

orange hives is kinda fitting for these guys


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

Thanks for keeping us in the loop JWC. I wonder, how could a system of laws turn this into a deterrent for like minded scoundrels?


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Good thing it didn't happen to me. I'd probably be the one in prison if it did. Can't stand a thief.


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## Tom Brueggen (Aug 10, 2011)

I'm lucky I guess not to have any of mine stolen, yet. Being in the suburbs, I'm mo worried about vandalism if the wrong person finds them, or some punk decides to poison them just for fun.

I can't stand a thief. My frat house was robbed when I was in college, and I personally lost over $2000: computer, calculator, several rare guns, etc. Of course, no leads and never recovered. 

I'm thinking maybe some day I will get into the game of commercial pollination. Stuff like this scares me. It's just one more malady in the world of beekeeping. It makes it that much harder for us to make an honest living. It's so bad, most retail stores build in a percentage of their markup on a product to cover theft loss. 

Hmm...how do we make hives less "steal able"?


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## tdsiders (Jan 30, 2013)

i set game cameras up at my outyards so that hopefully i can get a description of person vehicle etc… if i am hit by thieves.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Ian said:


> orange hives is kinda fitting for these guys


Yup, exactly matches the orange jumpsuits they'll be wearing for next harvest. Wonder if they planned that.


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## grumpybeeman (Jan 10, 2014)

The worst part is going out into the woods and finding some tipped over from punk kids. It's time that everyone invests some money into a good game/trail camera. It's hard enough keeping bees alive in wisconsin without stupidity.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Anyone else giving a little head shake on the valuation. 256 hives are worth 40K? Not mine!!!!!  

Did no one check the calendar and see how close we are to almond bloom? You couldn't by a load like that for under $300 each IMO. 

$76,800 is more in the correct range for the date. (256x300) If anyone who puts that valuation down has any for sale at that price I will be there tomorrow with cash if he wants to retire..:waiting:


If the state does not get its act together real soon in quarantining this kind of garbage with some hefty visits to the orange suited poke wearing big house I would say its time to find a unique and stately 500 year old Valley oak, a thread bare tie down rope and pair them together with this louse's ankles on a breezy 110 degree August afternoon after reminding him that he has serendipitously self entered into the first annual Weedpatch upside down bee thief bee beard contest  May keep the poor folks in Kern from having to many entrants in the subsequent annual ones. If not :ws:


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

Following up on this story, a ND newspaper account that interviews the employer of the arrested perp, states the perp fled to Mexico after posting bail.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/north-dakota-honey-farmer-pins-and-needles-amid-bee-deaths

"Last year, one of Green’s longtime workers was charged with stealing his hives and bees while in Bakersfield. The man later fled to Mexico after posting his bail, Green said.

“It’s hard to tell who you can trust,” he said.


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## irwin harlton (Jan 7, 2005)

Heard that over in Saudia Arabia they cut your hand off for stealing, now heard there are a few people walking around over their with one hand missing, but very few walking around with both hands missing


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## RDY-B (May 20, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> It's only bail. The purpose of bail is to make sure people show up for trial. They are assumed innocent until they have a trial and are found otherwise. If they are found guilty, then you consider what is a fair punishment. Bail is not intended to be punishment.


yea yea --but lets consider the real problem --and that is bee theft should be a felony--not the misdominer offense it is now associated with --possession -of stolen property-that dont cut it--RDY-B


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## Riskybizz (Mar 12, 2010)

Originally Posted by Michael Bush : 

"It's only bail. The purpose of bail is to make sure people show up for trial."

Well in this case its didn't quite work out that way did it.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

They forgot to factor in the "flight risk" when calculating bail. Maybe it would be easier to have them labeled as terrorist and deported?

Crazy Roland


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

Had a broker call this morning saying another 400 were stolen out of the lodi area in the last few days. Anyone else hear about this?


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## willbe (Sep 3, 2013)

""A representative for Pena's North Dakota employer, R G Bees Inc., said Pena did not have access to a truck or a loader and did not appear to have stolen the bees himself. He added that his company's bees had not been stolen."""


I thought I remembered something about RG Bees 
This was from the Grand Forks ND Herald July 5 2014

"Last year, one of Green’s longtime workers was charged with stealing his hives and bees while in Bakersfield. The man later fled to Mexico after posting his bail, Green said.

“It’s hard to tell who you can trust,” he said.""
Guess losing his bail wasn't his biggest concern.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Honey-4-All said:


> Had a broker call this morning saying another 400 were stolen out of the lodi area in the last few days. Anyone else hear about this?


C west bees were stolen, not good.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Michael Bush said:


> It's only bail. The purpose of bail is to make sure people show up for trial. They are assumed innocent until they have a trial and are found otherwise. If they are found guilty, then you consider what is a fair punishment. Bail is not intended to be punishment.



yes, but it should fit the crime. Just this past week, a local guy woke up and found someone in his bedroom rummaging through his drawers looking for valuables to steel. The only reason the guy didn't kill the burglar was he didn't want his young kids to see someone die so he tackled him and pinned him till the cops arrived. The burglar was out in 2 hrs with $150 bail.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

I wish we would save the same contempt for those who steal by skulduggery as we do for those who steal by dark of night.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

> I wish we would save the same contempt for those who steal by skulduggery as we do for those who steal by dark of night.


That would shut down wallstreet and most banks.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Fusion_power said:


> That would shut down wallstreet and most banks.


Yes, wherever there is money to be made there is money to be stolen. My experience is there may be more money stolen by unscrupulous bee "handling" deals than the value of hives stolen, yet these crooks masquerade as ordinary beekeepers. My advice is if YOUR pollination dollars are passing through a 3rd party handler then he had better have some pretty good references not just a friendly personality and an online presence.


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## TimW (May 15, 2013)

Are the hives being stolen out of holding yards or out of orchards or both?


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

Fusion_power said:


> That would shut down wallstreet and most banks.


I'm thankful we have a well established banking system and securities market here in the United States and thankful for the people working in that industry providing those services. That industry is essentially the engine oil of our economy. 

There are people of low character working in all industries including beekeeping, religious organizations, banking, you name it but that doesn't mean the whole group reflects that.


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## Cyan (Jan 27, 2015)

Even when I had 5 hives, theft was always a disheartening thought. A hundred plus would probably break me.

I don't talk to any local beekeepers at home, but met a few in my travels. I do see however that many people here are jumping on the 'save the bees' bandwagon- for better and worse. Won't be long before some genius makes the news for stealing bees here, if even a few hives.


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## high rate of speed (Jan 4, 2008)

Wasn't c.west but nice assumption. Not sure who it was in Lodi?????


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