George Rajkovich, owner of Rajkovich Brothers Orchards in
Hollister, said the thieves that stole 32 cherry trees from his
Fairhaven Orchard on Thursday are lucky he didn’t catch them.
George Rajkovich, owner of Rajkovich Brothers Orchards in Hollister, said the thieves that stole 32 cherry trees from his Fairhaven Orchard on Thursday are lucky he didn’t catch them.
“If I had my shotgun, I would have taken a potshot at them,” Rajkovich said. “I hope the guy gets Oakroot Fungus and the trees die.”
Rajkovich said the latest incident is the third time in the last six weeks when people have driven onto his land, loaded up trees in a truck and left with them. He said a total of 67 trees have been taken.
Rakovich’s cherry trees line Highway 25 just outside the city limits and are currently in bloom with thousands of pink and white flowers adorning each branch. They will be full of ripe cherries in June. He said the trees that were stolen came from an area of saplings, each about 1 or 2 years old.
Each tree at a young age is $7 – but costs much more to plant, water and raise.
San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich said he had never heard of trees being stolen and said the crime seems to be more trouble than it’s worth.
“The trouble is, it’s not the value of the tree,” he said. “It’s the value of replanting the tree and all the work that goes into each one. I can’t imagine why they would want so many trees unless they are starting an orchard of their own.”
San Benito County Sheriff’s deputy Edward Nino handles agricultural crimes in the county and said Rajkovich’s case was unique in his more than 20 years on the force.
He also said concerned farmers could pick up free “agricultural watch signs” from the sheriff’s office to place on their property and that anyone observed stealing trees would be charged with theft and trespassing.
“If you see someone stealing trees, don’t contact them – just get license plate numbers, descriptions of the people, direction they are traveling, anything to help us identify the suspects,” Nino said. “You can protect your property, but don’t come out with a gun. It will just cause more problems.”
