Escalating rural frustration over sharing land with oil and gas companies has spawned incidents of vandalism in Canada's oil patch. One security firm has tallied more than 160 acts of industrial sabotage since 1996 and millions of dollars in property damage and lost production. In the most violent incident to date, disgruntled rancher Wayne Roberts was charged with the murder of Calgary oil executive Patrick Kent in October 1998 after a two-year dispute over a contaminated well on his land. A dozen farmers quickly set up a defense fund for Roberts, who had no prior criminal record.
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