(AP) -- MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) -- Livestock producers in southwest Missouri are confronting an outbreak of cattle rustling that one sheriff says appears to involve organized thieves targeting a cluster of counties.
The Monett Times reports (http://bit.ly/Xoq85a ) the problem has become serious enough to prompt a recent summit meeting of producers, prosecutors and law enforcement officers in Lawrence County.
Officials say many of the rustlers probably work at ranches or livestock-related businesses. They strike at night, quickly cutting through fences and loading cattle onto trailers.
Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay says the rustlers are targeting Greene, Lawrence, Dade, Newton and Jasper counties. He says producers should consider investing in cameras to catch thieves in the act.
DeLay also urges producers to use common sense and avoid confronting the rustlers, since they may be armed.
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