From Bill Lindelof:
Three men have been arrested on suspicion of grand theft walnuts in Yuba County.
Yuba County sheriff's deputies say they found 780 pounds of walnuts worth $1,170 in the bed of a pickup owned by one of the men that was parked in an orchard on Ellis Road north of Marysville.
A deputy looking to stem agricultural theft spotted a black Ford F250 with Texas license plates parked in the orchard Tuesday night. Sheriff's department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes said the deputy approached the truck and noticed that while leaves had been raked into piles there were no walnuts on the ground.
He also noticed that the pickup bed was three-quarters filled with walnuts.
The driver, Michael Caldon, 60, of Marysville, and passenger Terry Gilmore, 53, said they had permission from the orchard owner they identified as Cindy to harvest the nuts. Neither could provide the "Cindy's" last name or a way to contact her.
The third man, Wesley McGlone, 40, said he was just helping out.
A representative from the orchard confirmed that the three did not have permission to take the nuts -- and all three were booked into Yuba County Jail on suspicion of grand theft of farm crops.
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