Six charged in $500,000 farm equipment theft

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Southwest Missouri investigators say if the price of farm equipment looks like a steal, it might be just that.

Six men are charged with stealing almost $500,000 worth of tractors and other farm equipment from three counties. Several other suspects are being sought, and investigators expect to make more arrests.

The six are charged as part of an investigation that began in 2008.

A Missouri Highway Patrol investigator said a yearlong undercover operation took advantage of the suspects offering equipment for sale at bargain prices.

Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott said the thieves were selling the equipment so cheap that prospective buyers should have been suspicious.