TSCRA: Theft Protection

Law Enforcement and Livestock Inspection

Theft Reports TSCRA Inspector (trial date)

TSCRA special rangers make arrests in theft cases Williamson, Eggleston (reported 10-07)
Special ranger, sheriff's department recover $70,000 worth of stolen property Cummings (Reported 9-07)
Special rangers recover $19,000 worth of saddles Bradshaw, Cummings, Belt, Hutchison (reported 9-07)
Cattle Raisers help recover equipment stolen in two states Eggleston (reported 7-07)
Telltale signs warn rancher of theft Bradshaw, McKinney
(reported 12-06)
Cattle thief gets 10 years in prison Bradshaw (reported 10-06)
TSCRA investigators find cattle weapons, drugs Mast, Johnson, Belt (reported 8-06)
Alert neighbor helps TSCRA recover stolen cattle Baros, Barfknecht, Johnson (reported 7-06)
Investigators collar suspect in multiple thefts Johnson, Mast
(reported 6-06)
TSCRA provides quick justice for cattle theft victim Bohannon
(reported 5-06)
Market inspector suspicions lead to three arrests, confessions Johnson, Mast (reported 4-06)
Oklahoman man convicted for multiple thefts Eggleston (1-06)
TSCRA IDs day worker in multiple cattle thefts Hryhorchuk
(reported 11-05)
Inspectors investigate $4 million fraud Barfknecht, Eggleston
(reported 10-05)
Inspector busts cattle theft ring Williamson (12-04)
Defendant guilty in $1 million cattle embezzlement trial Rector (3-04)
Inspectors corral auction barn thief Andrews Bohannon, Roberts (9-03)
Officers Bust Walker Co. Cattle Theft Ring Davis (9-03)
Two arrested for killing cattle in North Texas Brittain (8-03)
Time-tested inspection program thwarts cattle thief Davis (11-02)
Inspector clears multiple thefts in Matagorda Co. Cook (7-02)
Accused Cattle Thief Goes on Crime Spree Brittain, McKinney (11-01)
Teamwork Stymies Cattle Thieves Baros, Korenek (9-01)
Muddled Thinking Exposes Cattle Thief Andrews (8-01)
Cattle Thief Kidnaps Driver at Gun Point Dickson, Strong (7-01)
Trusted Employee Steals Cattle Baros, Korenek (6-01)
Thief Steals Calves To Cover Bad Debt Williamson (5-01)
Dead Calves Found in Thieves’ Pickup Wade (5-01 and 3-01)
Suspect Admits He Kept Stray Horses Wade (1-01)
Property Recovered from Multiple Thefts Rushing (10-00)
Preconditioning Agent Steals Cattle Andrews (10-00)
TSCRA Inspector helps recover teen’s missing horse Brittain (8-00)
Thief Ordered To Pay $79,000 Restitution Andrews (8-00)
Theft Solved Quickly Wade (5-00)

Theft Reports

TSCRA special rangers make arrests in theft cases
Reported: 10-07
       Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger and District Supervisor Scott Williamson is quick to credit help from citizens, members of law enforcement and game wardens in the Oct. 4 arrest of three men suspected of cattle theft.
       "There is no way we could have accomplished in two or three weeks' time what we got done in one day," Williamson, who is based in Seymour, says.
       Earl Colbert Jr., Dale Ritchie and Lethal Wiseman Jr. — all residents of Hardeman County—were each arrested on two separate counts of third degree felonies of theft of 10 or more head of livestock and will be tied to crimes of more than 60 head of cattle in all.
       Williamson says for the last year and a half or so, he has been receiving reports of missing cattle from along the Pease River in Hardeman and Wilbarger counties.
       While investigating these cases, he received a call from fellow TSCRA Special Ranger Ben Eggleston, who was concerned with some information he came across while routinely checking sale barn records. Some of that information became evidence in one of the theft cases Williamson was investigating.
       On the evening of Oct. 3, Eggleston received information that the possible suspects were unloading cattle again at a sale barn in Oklahoma. Williamson immediately traveled to Elk City, Okla., where he and Eggleston worked straight through until the arrests were made the night of Oct. 4.
       In the process, the pair—with a lot of help from local law enforcement, citizens and game wardens—recovered 10 head of cattle and 67 more have been identified and accounted for.
       TSCRA special rangers are working on a separate but related case involving property and cattle stolen in southern Oklahoma.
       Williamson says the special rangers had received reports of livestock and equipment theft from Jackson, Harmon and Tillman counties. In the course of investigating those cases, he was contacted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department following an arrest the department made the last weekend in September in a drug-related burglary case.
       He traveled to Oklahoma and worked with the sheriff's departments from Jackson and Harmon counties. While conducting interviews, he received information that led to evidence that helped clear a case of equipment and livestock theft that had been reported directly to him.
       Williamson expects this to blossom into another livestock theft investigation.
       In the Oklahoma case, Buck Stephens was arrested Sept. 28 and Nathan Bradley Roberson was arrested Sept. 29, both on theft charges.

Special Ranger, sheriff's department recover $70,000 worth of stolen property
Reported: 9-07
      Working together, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Tulsa County (Okla.) Sheriff’s Office have recovered $70,000 worth of stolen property in a joint investigation in the Tulsa County area.
      This is the second theft ring the special rangers have investigated this summer, with the first resulting in recovering $19,000 worth of saddles.
      The latest investigation began when TSCRA Special Ranger John Cummings, who serves District 4 in northeastern Oklahoma, received three reports of missing saddles and other tack in Tulsa and Osage Counties between July 9 and July 16. In each incidence, the suspects used bolt cutters to enter the barn or trailer where the tack was stored during the night or early morning.
      Special Ranger Cummings contacted Deputy Jim Wolfe of the Tulsa County Sheriff office and the two began a joint investigation into the crimes.
      On July 17, Cummings and Wolfe began searching area pawnshops and notified the deputies in Tulsa and Osage counties about the thefts and to be aware of anyone selling or pawning saddles.
      The next day, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office received a tip indicating someone was trying to pawn a western saddle at a local pawnshop. Tulsa County uniformed deputies responded and arrested Quinton Murphy, Tulsa, on charges of knowingly concealing stolen property and false declaration of ownership, both felony crimes.
      Information obtained from this arrest led to a search warrant being issued for a home in south Tulsa. Special Ranger Cummings joined Deputy Wolfe and Investigator Todd Cole of the Tulsa County Sheriff Office in the joint investigation of these crimes. During the subsequent search of the home on July 18, nine additional saddles, a large amount of assorted tack and equine equipment, and three horses were seized.
      Based on information obtained during the search warrant and interviews of suspects, Special Ranger Cummings, Deputy Wolfe and Tulsa County deputies began searching pawnshops in the Tulsa County area. During the investigation over the next several days a total of 18 additional saddles were recovered and held as evidence.
      Also during the joint investigation, 14 of the 15 saddles originally reported stolen to Special Ranger Cummings were identified and recovered.
      The joint investigation is continuing at this time, with charges and warrants pending on at least three additional suspects in Tulsa County. Additional suspects and possible charges are still being investigated. The joint investigation has also revealed that at least five subjects have been involved in at least 10 burglaries involving saddles, tack, horses, four wheelers, feed and possibly vehicles.

Special Rangers recover $19,000 worth
of saddles
Reported: 9-07
      Two dozen saddles, valued at approximately $19,000, have been recovered by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
      On May 23, TSCRA Special Ranger John Bradshaw, was contacted regarding the theft of 10 saddles out of Washington County, Okla. Although Bradshaw, based in Paris, covers TSCRA’s District 12 in the far northeast portion of Texas, he was contacted because the suspects were believed to be from the Mount Pleasant area.
      Once the investigation began, it became clear that more than the original 10 saddles were involved. At last count, 31 saddles — 24 of which have been recovered by TSCRA Special Rangers so far — had been stolen and sold at horse sales and from the side of the road to people all over Texas, Oklahoma and even as far-off as Florida.
      “These saddles were all over the place,” Bradshaw says. “Like the one in Florida. I mean, good grief! The guy [who purchased those saddles] was on vacation and driving on the Indian Nation Turnpike and these kids with the saddles were set up at the gas station.
      “The guy was visiting his son who lives in Oklahoma and was pulling a horse trailer. The kids thought, ‘He’s pulling a horse trailer, let’s see if he’s interested in buying some saddles.’
      “So, they yelled at him to see if he wanted to look at some saddles. And he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll look at them.’ So he comes over and looks at them. And they say, “You can have any two out of the bunch for $250.” So the guy picks the best two saddles and pays part check, part cash. And that’s [the record from the check] how we tracked him down,” he says.
      Since the stolen property was so spread out — across state lines, even — it took cooperation from other TSCRA Special Rangers to recover such a large number of the saddles.
      Bradshaw is quick to credit new ranger John Cummings, who joined TSCRA after this case was in progress, but was a great asset because he serves the Oklahoma district where much of the theft occurred.
      Cummings not only recovered two of the saddles, but also communicated back and forth with Bradshaw to keep him informed of what was going on related to the case in Oklahoma.
      TSCRA Special Rangers Jimmy Belt, who serves District 23 in Southeast Texas, and Doug Hutchison, of South Central Texas’ District 20, also recovered saddles.
      The suspects, 18-year-old John Allen Davis, and 17-year-old Elijah Sims, have been arrested and have confessed to the crimes.

Cattle Raisers help recover equipment stolen in two states
Reported: 5-07
      TSCRA Special Ranger Ben Eggleston played a major role in a multi-agency theft investigation that led to the recovery of stolen equipment valued at more that $300,000.
      Eggleston entered the case when he got a call on March 29 from TSCRA member Jim Bill Anderson reporting that a Bobcat skid loader and 16-foot trailer were missing from his ranch east of Canadian, Texas.
      Anderson told Eggleston that he had notified the local sheriff's department when he discovered the property was missing and that the officers had already worked the crime scene. Eggleston immediately contacted Hemphill County Sheriff Gary Henderson to get details on all evidence and possible leads.
      On April 5, Eggleston drove to Canadian to plan the next steps in the investigation with Sheriff Henderson and Chief Deputy M.E. Burroughs. The lawman's instincts had been triggered by an e-mailed crime alert from Special Ranger Joe Rector on two men suspected of trailer theft in Weatherford, Okla.
      Clinton E. Waugh, 49, of Elgin, Okla., and James Patrick Lewis, 33, of Cyril, Okla., had been arrested for theft of a trailer south of Weatherford. When taken into custody, they had a police scanner, a 12-gauge shotgun, a GPS system, binoculars, spotlights, a notebook with locations, assorted locks—some of them cut—and various tools.
      That assortment was a pretty good indication that the suspects might have been involved in more than one theft, so the Weatherford Police Department sent out the crime alert.
      Eggleston immediately began to follow the lead. When Lt. Steve Moss of the Custer County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office advised that one of the suspects, was talking, Eggleston and Burroughs left for Oklahoma. They wanted to know if Waugh knew anything about the Anderson case. He did!
      Waugh said he had been working for Lewis, who told him to pick up the trailer and skid loader and move them to an oil field outside of Cyril. Lewis told Waugh he needed to change the tires on the trailer.
      Asked where the equipment had been taken from the oil field, Waugh said he had gone home, but suspected it had been sold to Ed Dutton, who ran a welding operation in Lindsey, Okla.
      The officers brought in Lewis, who refused to talk. However, they found a check from Ed Dutton Welding among his property when he was brought to the jail. Eggleston reported this information to Terry Cronkite, special agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, who said he would check it out.
      Cronkite called the next day to confirm that the loader and trailer had been found. When Eggleston, Burroughs and Henderson went to identify the property, they found much more.
      Eggleston noticed a Demco stock trailer that had been described as missing by the Beckham County Sheriff's Office. There were also two items stolen from Roger Mills County, Okla.—a two-horse stock trailer and a ranch feed pickup, which was located in a salvage yard outside of Lawton, Okla.
      Other items included a Polaris ATV, a fifth-wheel travel trailer, lawn mowers and several trailers. In all the officers seized equipment valued at about $300,000 and began tracking down the owners. Anderson reclaimed his skid loader and trailer, valued at $40,000.
      Thus far, Lewis and Waugh have been charged with Theft over $20,000 and under $100,000, a third degree felony.
      "The charges against these suspects are the result of the diligence and cooperation of officers in several agencies," Eggleston emphasized.
      These include TSCRA Special Ranger Joe Rector based in Oklahoma, the Weatherford Oklahoma Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and sheriff's offices in Custer, Beckham and Roger Mills counties in Oklahoma and Hemphill County, Texas.

Telltale signs warn rancher of theft
Reported: 12-06
       Uneaten salt and mineral blocks and overgrown cattle trails were telltale signs to an absentee rancher that some of his cattle might be missing.
       LaVern Pfeiffer of Scribner, Neb., owns cattle in several states. In March 2005 he hired Chase Shelby to move about 85 head from Missouri to leased land in Red River County, Texas.
       The owner checked on the cattle periodically. Nothing seemed awry until Aug. 20, 2005, when he noticed the obvious clues that something was wrong.
       A quick count showed only 20 head in the pasture; there were supposed to be 85.
      Suspicious, Pfeiffer went to J and J Livestock Commission in nearby Texarkana. He explained the situation and asked if his hired hand had sold any cattle.
       The sale barn representative confirmed that Shelby had sold 10 head, claiming that Pfeiffer owed him money and had told him to sell the cattle as payment.
       Alarmed, Pfeiffer proceeded to Stone Livestock Auction in Mount Pleasant. Records there showed Shelby had sold 60 head since March 22. That’s when Pfeiffer called TSCRA Special Ranger John Bradshaw.
       The investigator followed Pfeiffer to his leased property where they discovered a pen of cattle that had not been penned the night before. Something was going on and they decided to let it play out.
       A few days later, Bradshaw went to Stone Livestock and discovered that Shelby had arranged to have cattle picked up from Pfeiffer’s land. Again, he had told sale barn personnel it was at his employer’s request.
       Special Ranger Bradshaw showed a photo line-up to sale barn employee Billy Lockey, who immediately identified Chase Shelby.
       Lockey advised that Shelby had delivered cattle to the barn numerous times. Each time, Shelby would arrive near the end of the sale, sell the cattle, pick up his check and be gone within 30 minutes.
       Bradshaw gathered all related paperwork from both sale barns. Cattle sold by Shelby matched those on Pfeiffer’s lease and some bore Bangs tag numbers from Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming where Pfeiffer had purchased cattle.
       Bradshaw requested and received a warrant for Shelby’s arrest. Pfeiffer arranged to have the suspect and other workers come to the leased property on Aug. 30 to gather and work cattle.
       Bradshaw arrived, accompanied by TSCRA Special Ranger Troy McKinney and two officers from Red River County, Constable Tim Shimpock and Sheriff’s Investigator Freddy Booker.
       Shelby was taken into custody and subsequently admitted stealing 38 of Pfeiffer’s cattle. He said he had purchased the other cattle sold as bottle calves. Bradshaw was dubious.
       He questioned Shelby’s father and a volunteer witness who had helped Shelby transport cattle to the sale barn from Pfeiffer’s land. Both said Shelby had never purchased any cattle. One indicated that Shelby was in serious financial trouble.
       Pfeiffer reported that at least 160 of his cattle were missing. Bradshaw now had documentation that Shelby had sold at least 64 head and witnesses had testified that Shelby had not purchased any cattle of his own.
       Chase Edward Shelby, 21, of Maud, Texas, was charged with Theft of Livestock, a third degree felony. He was tried on Dec. 20, 2005, in the 102nd Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas.
       Shelby was sentenced to 10 years probation, 240 hours of community service and ordered to pay $27,795.63 in restitution, a $1,000 fine and court costs of $688.

Cattle thief gets 10 years in prison
Reported: 10-06
       Anthony Edward Wilkins, 35, of Como, Texas, is serving 10 years in the state penitentiary after pleading guilty to two 2005 cattle thefts.
       TSCRA Special Ranger John Bradshaw was contacted about the first of the thefts on June 8, 2005. Franklin County Investigator Chris Mars called to report the theft of 11 to 15 unmarked black Angus yearlings and two bulls from Steve Wafford’s pens west of Mt. Vernon, Texas.
       Also missing were Wafford’s truck and trailer. He had left the keys in the truck and locked both inside the pens after gathering cattle.
       When Wafford returned the next day, the lock on the pens had been cut. His truck, trailer and some of the cattle were gone. Wafford called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, which found the truck and trailer in a hay pasture about a quarter of a mile away.
       That’s when Special Ranger Bradshaw entered the case. He and Investigator Jeremy Massey interviewed Wafford and searched the trailer for evidence. They found a shoeprint, but were unable to tie it to a possible suspect.
       That changed a week later when Bradshaw got a call on another case.
       Hopkins County Investigator Jace Anglin called to ask for Bradshaw’s help in finding three Holstein calves that had been reported missing by David Carr in the Como area.
       This time, the calves had ear marks. Bradshaw immediately alerted TSCRA Market Inspector James Comer at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction.
       Comer found them only a few hours later. He called Bradshaw to report that the owner had already arrived and identified the calves, valued at $700.
       Comer learned that the calves had originally been sold at Cattlemen’s Livestock in Paris, Texas. The barn owner had purchased them, and because they were dairy cattle, had taken them to Sulphur Springs.
       Information meticulously recorded at the sale barns showed that the original seller was Andy or Anthony Wilkins out of Como.
       Bradshaw went to the Paris barn, gathered all the pertinent information and called Lewis Tatum, the deputy assigned to the case in Hopkins County.
       Tatum went to the Wilkins residence and discovered the suspect was out of town. When he retuned, Tatum questioned him and Wilkins confessed to taking the Holstein calves.
       A few days later, Bradshaw and Tatum got permission from Mrs. Wilkins to look at the cattle on her land. Bradshaw had asked Steve Wafford to come along and see if he could identify the black bull on the property. Sure enough, it was his.
       When confronted with the identification, Wilkins confessed to the Franklin County theft and said he had sold the rest of the cattle in Durant, Okla.
       On June 22, Special Rangers Bradshaw and Troy McKinney went to Durant to try to locate the cattle.
       Bob Williams with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture advised that they had been purchased by order buyers for a total of $6,930 and sent to feedlots. Because the cattle were not marked by ear or brand, they could not be recovered.
       Wilkins was subsequently tried for both thefts and pled guilty to both. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each theft, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution and $278 in court costs.

TSCRA investigators find cattle, weapons, drugs
Reported: 8-06
      A routine call about four missing cows turned out to be anything but for TSCRA special rangers and investigators from Brazos and Robertson counties.
      That call put the officers on a trail that led to charges against a convicted felon for possession of illegal drugs and firearms, stolen trailers and welders, and seven counts of cattle theft totaling 42 head.
      It all started about 8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 24, when Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Brent Mast got a call from James Jett, TSCRA’s market inspector in Bryan, Texas.
      TSCRA employs 80 market inspectors who inspect every head of cattle sold at the 119 auction markets in Texas, recording descriptions of the cattle and information on the buyer and seller.
      Mast is one of 29 TSCRA law enforcement officers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma, who are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
      During 2005 TSCRA market inspectors identified a total of 4,766,235 head of cattle and TSCRA special rangers recovered or accounted for stolen livestock and ranch equipment valued at more than $6.2 million.
      Market Inspector Jett had gotten a call from Pat Shields, manager of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission in Bryan, reporting that he thought four cattle just delivered had been stolen out of Robertson County. Jett immediately called Mast, who contacted Shields to get the details.
      The sale barn had been alerted earlier that day by Stanley McBride, a Robertson County rancher, who had noticed that three cows and a bull were missing when he made his usual rounds. The chain locking his gate had been cut and surrounding weeds had been trampled, suggesting the cattle had been loaded into a trailer.
      McBride reported the missing animals to his local sheriff’s department then took the initiative in his own hands and called the local sale barns. He described the cattle in detail—two big, red and white cows, a black cow and a big, Gert-type bull. All had an underhack in each ear.
      “I think those cattle have been delivered up here,” the market operator told Mast.
      They had been taken to the barn by Bryan Allen Renfrow, 20, to be sold under the name of Terry Carl Meadors, 48. Both men are from New Baden, Texas.
      McBride arrived at the barn about 5:30 p.m. and positively identified the cattle as his, less than 12 hours after finding them gone.
      The next day was sale day and the investigators got there early—TSCRA Special Rangers Mast and Tommy Johnson; Jerry Stover, chief deputy, and Joe Davis, investigator, with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office; and Jeff Reeves, investigator with the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office.
      The officers arranged to have the cattle run through the sale, just in case Renfrow or Meadors showed up to watch. The suspects had put a hold on the check so they could pick it up in person.
      The investigators got into position, some in two pickups in the parking lot, others inside by the office. The suspects showed up about 4:30 p.m. Meadors waited outside in a truck while Renfrow went in to pick up a check for $2,962 made out to Meadors. When Renfrow returned to the truck, the officers blocked them in and arrested both men.
      TSCRA Special Ranger Jimmy Belt joined the officers for the follow-up investigations. Search warrants issued on Meadors’ property turned up a lot more than expected—more cattle, four trailers, some welders, 15 weapons and a stash of methamphetamines and marijuana—big trouble for Meadors, a convicted felon.
      The suspects subsequently admitted to six other cattle thefts, beginning last May. Investigators are currently trying to track down the 42 cattle involved.
      Rancher Stanley McBride, whose call started the case, loaded up his cattle and took them home. Other ranchers should take a lesson from McBride, says Mast.
      “He checked his cattle regularly and contacted law officers and local sale barns immediately. The sooner we know cattle have been taken, the better the chances the owner will get them back!”

Alert neighbor helps TSCRA recover stolen cattle
Reported: 7-06
      An alert neighbor provided the tip that led to the recovery of 11 registered Hereford cattle stolen from a Colorado County rancher. Carole Halla had reported 12 head, valued at about $18,000, missing from her property near Weimar last January.
      Tommy Johnson and Gary Baros, special rangers with Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and sheriff’s office investigators from Fayette and Colorado counties recovered 11 of the cattle on July 12; one had died.
      The officers had been investigating the case for months and had circulated descriptions of the missing cattle. Word-of-mouth paid off when an observant rancher in noticed some good-looking registered Herefords in a neighboring pasture that had previously contained only a couple of crossbreds.
      He mentioned them during a visit from TSCRA Special Ranger Chad Barfknecht who quickly notified local officers. They tracked down and questioned the individual who was leasing the pasture in the Carmine area of Fayette County.
      “His story didn’t match the circumstances,” said Special Ranger Johnson.
      “When we checked the cattle, we found that electronic ID tags had been surgically removed. However, one had been overlooked and the electronic identification matched a Halla cow.
      “There was also a Halla brand on another of the animals. We called Ms. Halla and she was able to identify the rest of the Herefords as hers.”
      The officers arrested Gary Dean Goebel on July 10 and charged him with possession of stolen cattle. Bond was set at $30,000.

Investigators collar suspect in multiple thefts
Reported: 6-06
      A Brazoria County rancher has confessed to a series of South Texas cattle thefts that spanned nine months, eight counties, 13 victims and 289 cattle valued at more that $250,000.
      Tommy Johnson and Brent Mast, special rangers with Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, have been investigating the thefts since receiving a call from Nolan Ryan’s foreman last September.
      Seventeen cows and 14 calves were missing from Ryan’s China Grove Ranch at Rosharon, Texas. Another 16 calves were stolen from the Hall of Fame pitcher two weeks later.
      It was the beginning of case that eventually involved 14 thefts from 13 victims and an unusual lack of information that puzzled investigators.
      “We’ve had several thousand dollars of reward money out here for seven or eight months and nobody’s talked,” said Special Ranger Mast.
      The break finally came on June 13 when 10 calves, including one with unusual scars, were stolen from the Navasota sale barn.
      “The calf had a bunch of scars all over him from an accident where he was hung up underneath a feed trough,” explained Johnson. “An order-buyer recognized the calf when it was taken to a sale in Groesbeck and knew it had been stolen.”
      The astute owner had alerted local order-buyers when his calves turned up missing. When the calf came up for sale, the order-buyer called the owner, who immediately contacted Johnson.
      “We were able to trace the calf back to the Navasota barn, and the license plate on the drive-in ticket at the sale barn came back to our suspect,” he explained.
      The investigators finally had a name that could be checked against the database at TSCRA headquarters in Fort Worth.
      TSCRA employs 80 market inspectors who inspect every head of cattle sold at the 119 auction markets in Texas, recording descriptions of the cattle and information on the buyer and seller. During 2005 TSCRA market inspectors identified a total of 4,766,235 head.
      The market inspectors send their reports to TSCRA’s Fort Worth headquarters, where the information is processed for computer retrieval and distributed to more than 700 law enforcement agencies nationwide. That database is usually the first stop in any investigation conducted by TSCRA’s commissioned law enforcement officers.
      Johnson and Mast are two of the 29 officers TSCRA has stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma. All are thoroughly trained in law enforcement, have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are commissioned as special rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. In 2005 TSCRA special rangers recovered or accounted for stolen livestock and ranch equipment valued at more than $6.2 million.
      A search of the database turned up a stack of forms detailing the specifics of cattle sold by the suspect on certain dates that matched the descriptions of the stolen cattle.
      “I had a big stack of those forms when we were interviewing him for the first time,” said Mast. “He thought right then that we knew everything that he’d done.”
      The suspect’s family hired an attorney who met with the investigators two days later. He told them the suspect wanted to cooperate. He would confess, show them whereabouts of 80 to 90 head of stolen cattle and give them back to their owners.
      The interview with the suspect explained the puzzling lack of information about the thefts.
      “He told me in an interview with him and his attorney that he did this all by himself,” said Mast. “He knew if he had a partner, his partner might talk and he’d get caught.”
      The suspect’s method of operation explained even more.
      “He took the stolen cattle to a pasture that he had leased and mixed them with his own cattle,” said Johnson. “He sold the calves periodically over a month or two at several different sale barns.
      “He didn’t sell any of the branded cattle. He kept those on a leased pasture. He was just going to let the cows calve out and sell the calves.
      “He told us he targeted people that didn’t have a TSCRA blue sign posted,” Johnson continued. “He said that when he saw those signs, he knew that the Cattle Raisers Association had special rangers who would continue the investigation until they found out who did it.
      “The majority of the individuals that we worked for weren’t TSCRA members when this thing started,” he added. “But that’s not a question we ask.”
      The investigators returned 83 of the stolen cattle to their owners on June 19 and hope to round up another 10 head today if they can get into the rain-sodden pasture.
      Mast said their next steps will be to get the remaining cattle penned, get the suspect’s confession on video tape and have him arrested in Brazoria County, and file formal criminal charges in eight different counties―Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston Grimes, Harris, Houston and Walker.
      “Now we’re in the paperwork stage―the lengthy recording of all the material that we need to make our criminal cases plain. All of those cases involve more than 10 head of livestock, which makes each one a Third Degree Felony punishable by two to 10 years in the Texas prison system.”
      The special rangers praised the cooperation among all the investigators, particularly Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jack Langdon. Other investigating agencies included the Texas Ranger’s office in Texas City; the sheriff’s offices in Fort Bend, Houston, Grimes and Walker counties; and police departments in Houston, Pearland, Manvel, Alvin and League City.
      “We knew that if we kept turning over enough rocks, we’d find out who was doing it,” said Johnson. “Nobody ever quit. We all kept working until we got the right break.”

TSCRA provides quick justice for cattle theft victim
Reported: 5-06
     A call to Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association resulted in quick justice for a Lynn County victim of cattle theft.
      J. R. Brady of Wilson, Texas, returned from a weekend trip out of town March 6 and noticed several of his cattle were missing: three recipient cows implanted with embryos at a cost of about $5,000 each and three registered Limousin calves ready for sale as show calves. Total value of the missing cattle was about $30,000.
      Brady called the sheriff’s office the next day. On March 10 he called Dean Bohannon, his area TSCRA inspector, and gave him a detailed description of the missing cattle, including gender, color, markings, brand, ear tag numbers and approximate weight. Such meticulous information gives an investigator a huge advantage, but Brady provided an even bigger bonus—a likely suspect and the probable location of sale.
      Brady told Inspector Bohannon that his employee, Mark Cruz, was having some serious financial problems and might have taken the cattle. He added that Cruz had previously hauled some of his cattle to the Muleshoe Livestock Auction. Bohannon immediately contacted Richard Wills, who inspects cattle for TSCRA at the Muleshoe sale. If Cruz had sold any of Brady’s cattle at Muleshoe, Wills would have a record of it.
      TSCRA employs 80 market inspectors who inspect every head of cattle sold at the 119 auction markets in Texas, recording descriptions of the cattle and information on the buyer and seller. During 2005 TSCRA market inspectors identified a total of 4,766,235 head.
      The market inspectors send their reports to TSCRA’s Fort Worth headquarters, where the information is processed for computer retrieval and distributed to more than 700 law enforcement agencies nationwide. That database is usually the first stop in any investigation conducted by TSCRA’s commissioned law enforcement officers, known as field inspectors.
      Bohannon is one of 29 TSCRA field inspectors stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma. All are thoroughly trained in law enforcement, have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. In 2005 TSCRA field inspectors recovered or accounted for stolen livestock and ranch equipment valued at more than $6.2 million.
      Bohannon was not disappointed; Wills told him that cattle matching the ones Brady had described had been checked in at Muleshoe on March 4 by Mark Cruz. Bohannon got copies of the sale papers and a check made out to Cruz.
      It was time to confront the suspect. Bohannon and Deputy Jim Bingham of the Lynn County Sheriff’s office went to Cruz’s house about 5:30 p.m. on March 13. No one appeared to be home, so Bohannon called the home phone number. When there was no answer, he called the cell phone.
      Cruz answered, but said he was in South Texas and wouldn’t be back for a week. The lawman’s instincts told him the suspect was lying. He left his business card with neighbors and asked them to call when Cruz returned. Sure enough, Bohannon got a call two hours later.
      He returned to the house and called Cruz on his cell phone. He told him he knew he was at home and asked him to come outside and talk. Cruz agreed. When Bohannon asked him about Brady’s cattle, Cruz exploded.
      He said a drug dealer had forced him to steal the cattle by threatening his family. The drug dealer made him cash the check and took all the money. Cruz then refused to talk further without an attorney.
      Bohannon now turned his full attention recovering Brady’s cattle. He used buyer’s sheets to trace where the missing animals had gone from the sale barn.
      The three recipient cows had been sold to a packer. Bohannon contacted the head cattle buyer and was told they and had been killed on March 7.
      The two purebred Limousin bull calves went to a ranch in New Mexico. Bohannon advised the New Mexico Brand Board of their location and was assured they would locate and hold the bulls. The buyer reported he still had the calves, but had castrated them.
      The purebred Limousin heifer was traced to a nearby ranch, where it had been commingled with seven similar calves. Bohannon advised the manager that Brady’s calf had a yellow ear tag with the number 30 on it. The manager pointed to one of the calves and said he remembered removing a tag with that number. On March 14 Brady identified the same calf as his.
      All of the cattle had been located and the culprit had confessed within four days of Brady’s call to TSCRA.
      Local legal authorities also moved quickly. On April 21, Mark Anguiano Cruz pled guilty to Third Degree Theft in the 106th Judicial District Court of Lynn County, Texas. He was sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary and instructed to pay $30,000 in restitution, a $1,000 fine and $261 in court costs.
       “TSCRA would like to both thank and commend Lynn County District Attorney Lynn Smith for the expeditious and efficient manner in which this case was prosecuted,” said Larry Gray, TSCRA director of law enforcement.

Market inspector suspicions lead to three arrests, confessions
Reported: 4-06
     Two ex-convicts and a third person have been arrested and property has been recovered by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) field inspectors and investigators from the Matagorda County Sheriff's office thanks, in large part, to the sharp eyes of TSCRA Market Inspector Patricia Harkins at the Columbus Livestock Market.
      TSCRA Inspector Tommy Johnson, District 24 , reports he and TSCRA Inspector Brent Mast, District 22, have closed three cases in an on-going series of livestock and equipment theft investigations in the counties near Houston.
      Terence Sidney, two prior convictions, Bay City, Texas; Clemins Brown, Van Vleck, Texas; and Ernest Thibideaux, one prior conviction, Bay City, have confessed to cattle and equipment thefts and are in jail.
      Theft charges have been brought against the three men for stealing a four-wheel-drive John Deere tractor, valued at $28,000 from Pedro Olguin, Midfield, Texas, in Matagorda County; six head of cattle, valued at $5,720 from Edgar Oncken, Navasota, Texas, who ranches in Matagorda County; and a flat-bed trailer, valued at $8,000 from Richard Priesmier, El Campo, Texas, Wharton County.
      According to Johnson, Market Inspector Harkins noticed new brands coming through the market at which she inspects the identification of the cattle sold. "She caught the brands and notified me," Johnson says. A week later, cattle were reported stolen from Edgar Onken's ranch in Matagorda County. Johnson checked the Onken brand and found it was the same as the brands that had raised Harkins' suspicions.
      "The market inspectors get used to seeing the same customers and the same brands every week," Johnson explains. "When somebody new shows up at an auction market, that sends up a red flag. She made this happen by being observant. Pat caught every number and brand on those stolen cattle," he says.
      Records from the sale barn lead Johnson to Terence Sidney's place. While there, Johnson discovered the flat-bed trailer and found the John Deere tractor hidden in the woods.
      Thibodeaux and Sidney were apprehended in Bay City. They implicated Clemins who came voluntarily to confess, with the strong encouragement of his father.

Oklahoma man convicted for multiple thefts
Trial Date: 1-06
      An Oklahoma man will spend six years in the state penitentiary for multiple offenses investigated by TSCRA Special Ranger Ben Eggleston.
      The TSCRA lawman was brought into the case by officers from the Alfalfa County, Okla., Sheriff’s Department. They knew Eggleston had the specialized skills and contacts to find out what happened to 19 head of cattle stolen from the pens at the Cherokee Livestock Auction.
      Alfalfa County officers also advised Eggleston that a local man, Cody Eugene Kramp, 25, was boasting he had $11,000 in the bank from selling cattle belonging to his dead grandfather. Problem was, his grandfather was still very much alive.
      A check with several area livestock markets quickly showed Eggleston that Kramp had sold seven head of cattle at the Woodward Livestock Auction on Oct. 11, 2005. But the descriptions didn’t match the Cherokee cattle.
      Eggleston and deputies from Alfalfa and Woods counties located the suspect, and during an interview, Kramp confessed to an extensive stealing spree.
      He said that on Sept. 30, he had borrowed a livestock trailer to steal seven head of cattle belonging to Jariod Ward from the pens of Greg Pinegar near Alva, Okla. He sorted out the branded cattle and took four unbranded calves to the livestock auction in Medicine Lodge, Kan., where he sold them for $1,158,77.
      On Oct. 9, Kramp stole several items of miscellaneous equipment valued at $1,975 from the Chatman Farm near Alva, Okla.
      A few days later, he took nine cattle from Jim Leslie near Dacoma, Okla., and sold seven of them at Woodward for $4,066. He also took a $4,000 Honda four-wheeler from nearby Glass Farms.
      On Oct. 25, Kramp swiped a flatbed Ford dually pickup from a super lube in Alva and drove to a local Western wear store where he broke in and helped himself to several pairs of jeans and shirts.
      Then he snatched a blue gooseneck trailer from from another location, drove to the Cherokee Livestock Auction, where he stole 19 head of cattle, and hauled them to the Medicine Lodge livestock auction where he sold them for $11,963.
      All totalled, Kramp had stolen $20,394.65 worth of livestock and equipment.
      He pled guilty in separate trials on Jan. 23, 2006, in Woods County and Jan. 25. 2006, in Alfalfa County. In each trial, he was sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary, with four of the years suspended. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $19,991.56.
      Investigators in the case included Shane Vore, under sheriff, Woods County, Okla., and Dennis Frisk, under sheriff, Alfalfa County, Okla.

TSCRA IDs day worker in multiple cattle thefts
Reported: 11-05
      A day worker who moonlighted stealing cattle from his employers in Chambers and Jefferson counties has been arrested and formally charged based on information gathered by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association inspectors.
      Reginald Bernard Kirksey of Winnie, Texas, was arrested on Nov. 16 and charged with multiple counts of felony theft of livestock. He is currently in the Chambers County jail in lieu of $45,000 bond on all counts.
      TSCRA Field Inspector Larry Hryhorchuk, who spearheaded the investigation, said the suspect has cleared up the whereabouts of about 50 head of cattle, ‘but that doesn’t begin to cover it. This is an ongoing investigation, with multiple victims, involving more than 100 head of cattle.”
      Hryhorchuk is one of 29 TSCRA livestock theft investigators stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma. These commissioned officers combine thorough training in all facets of law enforcement with a comprehensive knowledge of the cattle industry. In 2004 they recovered or accounted for more than $4 million in stolen livestock and equipment.
      A tip from a savvy TSCRA market inspector started Hryhorchuk gathering information before any of the thefts had been reported.
      “Lucian Fussell, the TSCRA market inspector over at Kirbyville, notified me that there was a guy over there selling cattle coming from this part of the country. He couldn’t figure out why they were going to Kirbyville instead of Raywood. It was unusual, so we started checking.”
      TSCRA’s 77 market inspectors are the first line of defense against livestock theft. They monitor 116 cattle auctions in Texas, meticulously recording identifying characteristics such as brands, sex, color, tags, horns and ear marks. They also document the seller’s name, address and vehicle license number.
      The information is sent to TSCRA headquarters where it is entered into a computer brand recording and retrieval system. Using information from this system, Hryhorchuk began building a profile of the individual selling cattle at Kirbyville. When he finally got a complaint about missing cattle, the information fit!
      “I got hold of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and we went to work on it. We had enough information to arrest and charge him,” said Hryhorchuk. “Where he was checking cattle in, how many and where. The arrest was made by the Chambers County Sheriff’’s Department yesterday.”
      Assisting officers were Investigator David Robalais from Chambers County and Charles Meloncon from Jefferson County.
      Hryhorchuk said the suspect had been day working for every one of the ranchers he stole cattle from.
      “He knew where the cattle were. He’d get them into a pen with range cubes, close ’em up and come back later and load ’em and haul ’em―one to 15 head at a time. A lot of the owners didn’t even know they were gone.”

Inspectors investigate $4 million fraud
Reported: Oct. 21, 2005
      Inspectors with Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association have uncovered evidence in a $4 million cattle fraud involving producers in four states.
      Monte J. Sharp, 45, of Hopeton, Okla., has been arrested on a Fugitive from Justice Warrant from Williamson County, Texas, where he has been charged with felony theft of 1,061 head of cattle from Capitol Land and Cattle Co. in Schwertner, Texas.
      The cattle, valued at nearly $700,000, were placed with Sharp for preconditioning at his lot near Alva, Okla. Preconditioning is a vaccination, nutrition and management program designed to prepare young cattle to withstand the stress associated with weaning and shipment to a feedlot.
      Sharp then illegally financed the cattle through Brookover Feed Yards in Garden City, Kan. He received a loan for 75 percent of their market value, secured by the future sale after they had been “finished” or fed up to market weight.
      “Basically, he was financing cattle that didn’t belong to him,” explained TSCRA Inspector Chad Barfknecht.
      Sharp did this repeatedly, with victims as far away as North Carolina. “We have information that he has placed over 20,000 head of cattle in feedlots in Kansas and Oklahoma,” Barfknecht added.
      Owners of Forester Cattle Co. in Larue, Texas, claim Sharp sold 98 of their cattle, valued at $60,000. In Kentucky, he is charged with illegally financing 88 heifers worth about $59,000.
      “We’ll probably continue to discover new victims for several months,” said TSCRA Inspector Ben Eggleston. “Fact is, we still don’t know how big this thing will end up being.”

Inspector busts cattle theft ring
Trial Date: Dec. 30, 2004
      A hot-iron brand on the hip of a cow exposed a serial thief who eventually confessed to 23 thefts in Texas and Oklahoma over a period of 18 months.
      TSCRA Inspector Scott Williamson had been watching the suspect for several months when the breakthrough came.
      In February 2004, Williamson was investigating multiple property crimes in several Texas and Oklahoma counties when Inspector H.D. Brittain suggested he take a look at Roddy Dean Pippin.
      The 20-year-old Pippin from Odell, Texas, was suspected of stealing some saddles in Brittain’s district. Williamson started gathering information.
      The tip-off came on July 2, 2004, when a rancher’s daughter reported the license number of a pickup hauling cattle through Odell at 1:30 a.m.
      Williamson asked the sheriffs” departments in Wilbarger and Hardeman counties to stop anyone pulling a trailer after 10 p.m. and let him know. He got the call at 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 8. The same pickup was moving cattle through Odell, and Roddy Dean Pippin was driving.
      Williamson left immediately and discovered Pippin with eight head of cattle, some of which were branded with a Lazy J on the left hip. Pippin claimed to have bought them from a Terry Peterson at the Mountain View sale. A call to the sale owner revealed that Terry Peterson did not exist.
      Williamson began contacting inspectors and law enforcement officers in the surrounding counties. By 8 a.m. he learned that the cattle branded with the Lazy J had been stolen from Joe Lindsey of Quanah during the night.
      When confronted, Pippin confessed to stealing Lindsey’s cattle. In a rush of relief, he also confessed to numerous other crimes and identified several co-conspirators. By the time Pippin was through, Williamson had to call in Inspectors Brittain and Ken Miniard to help in searching for and seizing stolen property.
      On Dec. 30, 2004, Pippin was tried in the 46th Judicial District Court in Hardeman County, Texas on four felony counts of theft of livestock valued at a total of nearly $25,000.
      He pleaded guilty to stealing eight head of cattle from Joe Lindsey of Quanah, Texas; 10 head of cattle in two separate thefts from Gerald Riley of Quanah; 24 head of cattle in three separate thefts from Butch Tabor of Quanah; and three head of cattle from Kenneth McNabb of Quanah.
      Pippin also agreed to plead guilty to two Oklahoma thefts in exchange for dismissal of the remaining charges in Texas and Oklahoma. He was also required to testify in court against six co-conspirators.
      Investigators included TSCRA inspectors Williamson, Brittain and Miniard; Larry Lee, Wilbarger County chief deputy; Kenny Alexander, Wilbarger County deputy; Matt Thompson, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game warden; and Randy Acres, Hardeman County sheriff.
      TSCRA inspectors also recovered and returned a volume of property stolen by Pippin and his co-conspirators from several other individuals. Included were 80 head of cattle, 10 trailers, saddles, cattle panels and numerous tools.
      Inspector Williamson emphasizes that the break in this case was the hot iron brand on one of the cows.
      “It’s still the best form of identification and should be continued even if electronic identification becomes mandatory. You can’t read an electronic tag from a distance, but I can drive by a suspect’s pasture and see a brand. And a brand can’t be removed.”
      Convicted theft ring felon Pippin admitted that the first thing he did after stealing someone’s cattle was to get rid of the tags!

Inspectors corral auction barn thief
Trial: September 2003
      Teamwork and legwork by TSCRA field inspectors led to a confession from a thief responsible for several thefts from Texas auction barns.
      Employees from Jordan Cattle Auction in San Saba called Inspector Jack Andrews on three separate occasions between Oct. 18, 2001, and June and June 20, 2002, to report missing cattle A total of 49 steers had been taken.
      Each time, Andrews e-mailed meticulous descriptions of the missing cattle to all TSCRA inspectors. On June 26, 2002, he got a call from Inspector Joe Roberts. Coleman Cattle Auction was missing 24 yearlings; seven were branded.

The usual suspects
      Andrews and Roberts went to the Coleman Auction to investigate and found dually tire tracks and some light blue paint on the gate. Roberts went over the “usual suspects” in his mind and came up with Dave Smith who’d be convicted of a similar theft at Coleman four years earlier.
      Smith was an order buyer, and Roberts thought he bought cattle at the Jordan Auction. Andrews called the Jordan Auction and was told Smith bought cattle there on a regular basis. Roberts flew over Smith’s residence and spotted a blue 32-foot trailer along with a white dually pickup.
      A few days later, Roberts found out that Smith was buying cattle for Bartlett Cattle Co. at Canyon. Sixty-one steers had been delivered to the Bartlett Feed Yard in Sublette, Kan.
      The inspectors went to Kansas, where the feedyard manager pointed to a pen. He told them that the 61 head purchased by Smith would have a letter “Z” identifying the buyer.
      Roberts found a steer with a “Z” and a brand matching one of the cattle from the Coleman Auction. He took photos and the Coleman confirmed the steer was likely one stolen from his auction.
      A few days later, Roberts met with Texas Ranger Johnny Billings in Snyder to discuss another theft where Dave Smith was the suspect. With Smith’s history and what had been found out on the Coleman Auction theft, they got a subpoena for Smith’s bank and phone records.
      Inspector Roberts went through the records and followed the paper trail to Lubbock Stockyards where Smith had sold some cattle. He got the name of the buyer and called TSCRA Inspector Dean Bohannon who went out to look at the cattle.

DNA tests ordered
They matched the weight and earmarks of 13 head taken from the Jordan Auction. Andrews found the consignor and called to find out if he had their sire. The consignor said the steers were sired by one of his four bulls and gave permission for a DNA test.
      Andrews and Bohannon got a licensed veterinarian and met in Lubbock to test the cattle. Four head were picked at random—all had altered earmarks.
      A few days later, Andrews went to Llano where another licensed veterinarian drew blood from the consignor’s four bulls. A few weeks later, they got the results: the bulls could not be ruled out as the sires of the four yearlings.
      On Oct. 3, 2002, Inspectors Andrews and Bohannon met with Texas Ranger Billings in his Snyder, Texas, office to interview Dave Smith. He admitted that he had stolen the cattle from the Jordan and Coleman auctions.
      On Sept. 8, 2003, Dave Mark Smith, 43, of Snyder, Texas, pled guilty to Theft of Cattle in the 33rd Judicial District Court of San Saba County, Texas. He received a 10-years probated sentence and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $46,128.38 in restitution.

Oklahoma jury finds defendant guilty
in $1 million cattle embezzlement trial
Trial: March 2004
       TSCRA Field Inspector Joe Rector used his experience in banking, law enforcement and the cattle business to build a trail of evidence that led to a conviction in a $1 million cattle embezzlement case.
        On March 24, 2004, a jury found Stephen Earl Buss, 40, of Hunter, Okla., guilty on a single count of embezzlement. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution to United Producers, plus $50 to the victims' compensation fund and $130 in court costs.
        During the preliminary hearing, the judge said there is enough evidence to try Buss on 16 counts of embezzlement. Buss is currently free on $5,000 bond and is due back in court on July 15.
        Buss was accused of selling more 2,000 cattle owned by United Producers Inc. and pocketing the receipts for his own use. He had been feeding and caring for cattle owned by the Missouri-based livestock firm under a grazing program agreement signed in June 1997.
2,000 head missing
        United records showed that as of May 1, 2000, approximately 3,000 head of cattle were placed with Buss. However, when United trucks went to pick them up on May 9, there were only 812. United estimated they were missing 2,011 head valued at $1,037,092.30. That’s when they called TSCRA.
        Clair Okelberry, senior vice president of United Producers, called TSCRA Inspector Rector on May 10 to ask for help in finding out what happened to the cattle.
        He gave Rector details about the grazing agreement. United-owned cattle weighing 400 to 500 pounds were shipped to Buss who pastured them while they gained weight. They were pulled off pasture when they weighed around 800 pounds.
        While the cattle were on his pasture, Buss was responsible for their feeding, care and well being. In return, he would receive a portion of the profit when the cattle were sold.
        During the course of the grazing program, United’s field man performed monthly inventories of the cattle on Buss’s property. The field man told Rector there were times when weather conditions prevented him from seeing all of the cattle and that on those occasions he relied on numbers provided by Buss.
        That was the situation when the field man did his inventory on May 1, 2000. There had been so much rain that he couldn’t get to all of the pastures and he personally saw only about half of the cattle that were supposed to be there. However, he and Buss agreed on a figure of 2,948 head.
        A few days later, Clair called Buss from the Missouri office to tell him United was sending trucks to load the cattle ready to come off pasture and go to the feedlot. Before they could get there, Clair got a call from Buss’s attorney who told him that most of the cattle were gone.
        Inspector Rector contacted Charles Dancer, special agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the two of them went to interview Buss.
Suspect won’t talk
        “He was non-committal, but listened,” Rector said. “When asked to cooperate, he never denied selling any of United’s cattle, but said he had been advised by his attorney not to talk to anyone. He finally said he needed a couple of days to think about it.”
        When Rector hadn’t heard from Buss by May 22, he got a search warrant. The search turned up a lot of evidence: a computer with a spreadsheet on cattle sold; 54 bank statements on accounts maintained by Steve Buss at various banks; numerous documents relative to cattle sales, including weigh-in tickets, check stubs and sale barn records; health certificates from the Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture; drive-in tickets and other documents from sale barns in Enid, Fairview and Covington; and monthly inventory sheets prepared and signed by the field man and Steve Buss.
        On June 12, 2000, Rector went to the office of Janice Wallace, attorney general for the state of Oklahoma, and got 12 grand jury subpoenas in order to obtain records from several sale barns and banks.
        By July 17, he had received most of the information from the subpoenaed entities and began piecing together an incriminating paper trail.
        After going over all of the bank records, Rector discovered that Steve Buss had made numerous deposits to his account, which represented the sale of cattle under several different names.
        He also learned that Buss couldn’t sell cattle in his own name because cattle
were listed as collateral for some of his bank loans.
Suspect pleads the Fifth
        When questioned about these sales, Buss repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
        Rector created a detailed comparison chart using inventory data from United Producers and tickets from sales made by Steve Buss.
        The chart showed the date cattle were delivered to Buss by United Producers, the number of head delivered and the average weight of the cattle delivered compared to the date cattle were sold by Steve Buss, the number of head sold and the average weight of the cattle sold.
        “In almost every instance when Buss sold cattle, they were sold shortly after United had delivered cattle to him,” Rector said. “The cattle he sold were the same gender and almost the same weight as the cattle delivered by United.”
        On Aug. 30, 2000, Rector took his evidence to Bryan Slabotsky, assistant district attorney for Garfield County, who agreed to file 21 counts of Embezzlement by a Bailee against Buss. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Four years to trial
        It took four years for Buss to come to trial. Rector stayed on top of the case constantly and made sure nothing was overlooked. He gathered a lot of information from TSCRA to help Assistant District Attorney Slabotsky prepare the case.
        “Bryan told me early on in our preparation for the trial that he knew very little about the cattle business—in particular grazing agreements,” Rector recalled. “He spent a lot of time educating himself on the many facets of the cattle business, and he sounded like an expert in the courtroom.
        “The case was extremely complex and complicated due to the volumes of documents and the chain of events that took place during the defendant’s commission of the crime.”
         Rector was an ideal tutor. He has a degree in business from Oklahoma State University and spent 12 years as a banker in El Reno, Okla., before switching to law enforcement in 1987.
        Slabotsky gave the TSCRA inspector a lot of credit, saying his analysis clearly showed Buss was selling cattle shortly after he received them from United.
        In his presentation to the jury Slabotsky pointed out that the similarity in weight on cattle received and cattle sold was “awfully odd.”
        On a post-trial questionnaire, several jurors said Rector’s chart was the primary thing that helped them understand how the crime was committed and arrive at a guilty verdict.

Officers Bust Walker Co. Cattle Theft Ring
Reported: February 2003
      Three suspects have been arrested in connection with a string of cattle thefts in Walker County.
      The men are believed responsible for five thefts that began last February involving 30 head of cattle. They have been charged with “Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity” and bond has been set at $75,000 each.
      Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Field Inspector Butch Davis and Walker County Sheriff’s Department Detective Charlie Perkins and Sgt. Steve Fisher investigated the thefts.
      Initially, the three officers looked at several suspects, with no firm results. The break came July 28 from TSCRA market inspector Robert Ware, who reported that cattle bearing the same brand as some of those stolen had been sold through East Texas Livestock in Crockett. The seller’s name pointed to a new suspect.
      TSCRA’s 75 market inspectors are the first line of defense against livestock theft. They monitor 125 cattle auctions and two horse-processing plants in Texas, meticulously recording identifying characteristics such as brands, sex, color, tags, horns and ear marks. They also document the seller’s name, address and vehicle license number.
      The information is sent to TSCRA headquarters where it is entered into a computer brand recording and retrieval system. It was this system that turned up the matching brands and identified Donald Brockett as the seller.
      Although Inspector Davis was away investigating another case, Detective Perkins picked up the information and asked TSCRA headquarters staff to research all cattle sold under Brockett’s name. Brockett was put under surveillance.
      Perkins and Fisher followed him to Madison County Livestock, where he unloaded two head of cattle. They were unmarked, unbranded and had not been reported as stolen, so the officers could take no action.
      However, on Aug. 1, Sam King called Davis to report six of his cattle missing. Now the officers knew where to look. They found the missing cattle around Brockett’s property and arrested him.
      King’s cattle were recovered—a bull valued at $2,500, four cows, valued at $600 each and a yearling bull, valued at $400.
      Brockett told the officers he had used trailers rented from Conroe Feeders in Conroe, Texas. Two other men listed on the trailer rental records, Dannie Haywood and Ricky Riles, were also arrested. All three were positively identified in a photo lineup and charged in the King case. Charges in the four other thefts are pending.

Two arrested for killing cattle in North Texas
Date of Offense: 8-03
           Two suspects have been arrested in the shooting deaths of 12 cattle in four north Texas counties. The slain cattle were valued at $12,400.
            The two suspects, Brian Douglas Barnstein, 33, of Watauga, and Andrew Lee Deatherage, 27, of Arlington turned themselves into the Parker County Sheriff’s Department in Weatherford on Aug. 22. They were accompanied by their attorney, Jerry Loftin.
            After providing voluntary statements, the two were arrested and booked on three misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and one felony count of criminal mischief. The two could possibly face up to four years in a state jail, plus restitution, fines and court costs.
            On July 20, 12 head of cattle in fenced pastures were shot and killed from roads in the “four corners area” of rural Hood, Johnson, Parker and Tarrant counties. The cattle were shot with hollow-point bullets from a .44 caliber Magnum carbine and a 30-06 caliber rifle.
            TSCRA investigating Field Inspector H.D. Brittain, alerted to the crime by a TSCRA member whose cattle had been shot, acted quickly to get word out about the shootings.
            “In cases like this, usually the perpetrators do some bragging about it,” stated Brittain.
            Thanks to extensive publicity by area news media, tips started coming into TSCRA headquarters in Fort Worth. One call to TSCRA Director of Law Enforcement Larry Gray specifically mentioned Barnstein and Deatherage. Further investigation corroborated the tip.
            Law enforcement personnel from the sheriff’s departments of Hood, Johnson, Parker and Tarrant counties assisted in the investigation, as well as the Fort Worth Police Department and the U.S. Treasury’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division.

Time-tested inspection program thwarts cattle thief
Reported: November 2002
      It took just 10 days to collar a Huntsville-area cattle thief thanks to Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association’s time-tested version of “home land” security.
      A local rancher discovered 10 head of his cattle were missing when he returned home after a stay in the hospital. He reported the loss to detectives with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, who immediately brought in local TSCRA Field inspector Butch Davis.
      TSCRA has 31 livestock theft investigators strategically stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma. These commissioned officers combine thorough training in all facets of law enforcement with a comprehensive knowledge of the cattle industry.
      Davis knew just where to start looking. Cattle being sold to market go through auction barns like travelers through airports. And it’s at the auction barns that TSCRA has its first line of defense.
      The association has 75 market inspectors who monitor 125 cattle auctions and two horse-processing plants in Texas for stolen livestock. These inspectors have been protecting ranch property for 60 years—since the program was first authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through an act of Congress in 1942.
      They inspect every animal that goes through the auctions—five million to six million head each year—meticulously recording identifying characteristics such as brands, sex, color, tags, horns and ear marks. They also document the shipper’s name, address and vehicle license number. If only airport security were this thorough!
      All of this information is sent to TSCRA’s Fort Worth headquarters where it is entered into the largest centralized, computer brand recording and retrieval system in the nation. It was this system that Davis tapped into to track down the Huntsville thief.
      He quickly determined that the missing cattle had been sold at the market in Crockett and accessed TSCRA’s database to get information on the person who sold them.
      Davis also learned that the same person had just sold some cattle in Navasota. When the seller returned to the auction barn to pick up his check, he was picked up instead.
      Davis and Walker County Sheriff’s Office Detective Charles Perkins had a warrant in hand and arrested 19-year-old Brandon Williams of Trinity, Texas. He was taken to the Walker County jail where he later posted a $20,000 bond.
      Last year TSCRA’s 31 field inspectors investigated 1,297 cases in Texas and Oklahoma and accounted for more than $4.3 million worth of stolen livestock and ranch property.

Inspector clears multiple thefts in Matagorda Co.
Trial: July 2002
      Several Matagorda Co. ranchers have their stolen cattle back thanks to the efforts of TSCRA Field Inspector Doyce Cook. Total value of the cattle is nearly $15,000.
      On April 1, 2002, Cook received information that several area producers were missing cattle. He immediately contacted area livestock sale barns to inquire about any uncommon transactions over the past few weeks.
      Dwain Darilek, an employee of the Edna Livestock Auction, is a former TSCRA market inspector—he knew exactly what kind of information Cook was seeking. He pointed out two transactions at the Edna barn that Cook should investigate.
      Darilek told Cook that on Sunday, March 24, he had received a call from a male customer who said he was bringing in a load of cattle. There was no need to wait on him, the customer said. He knew how to pen the cattle and fill out the barn’s receipt.
      Sale barn employees left after midnight; when they arrived the next morning, they found 10 head of cattle and a receipt in the name of Deanne K. Peters. After the sale, a male customer called and asked that a check for Peters be left at the sale barn. No one came to retrieve the check until everyone had gone home.
      A second load of five cattle was was brought in on March 31. This time Jason McCarrell, a barn employee, checked in the cattle, got a look at the driver and noticed the make and color of the delivery truck. After the sale on April 1, Darilek gave the check to a woman who identified herself as Deanne K. Peters.
      Inspector Cook obtained the barn’s records to get the brands on the cattle sold by Peters and her associate. A check with TSCRA’s one-of-a-kind brand database showed that the cattle were registered to Neil Meyer of Bay City. Cook verified ownership by double-checking a calfhood vaccination number on one of the branded cows with the Texas Animal Health Commission. Again, the records identified Neil Meyer as the owner.
      The next day, employee McCarrell was able to identify the driver of the delivery truck from a photo line-up. He pointed out Michael Shawn Stone of Bay City, a known associate of Deanne K. Peters.
      That same day (April 2), Billy Mann of Bay City reported the theft of six branded cattle. Cook checked the area sale barns and discovered the cattle had been sold at the El Campo barn in the name of Steve Grier.
      Cook interviewed Grier, who confessed that he and Shawn Stone had taken the cattle from a pasture south of Bay City and hauled them to El Campo. Grier picked up the check, cashed it and split the money with Stone.
      Grier also confessed that on Feb. 20 he and Stone had taken three cows from a pasture owned by Meyer. They were sold in Grier’s name at the Wharton sale barn and the money was split with Stone.
      While investigating the pair, Cook discovered they had also stolen 12 cattle from Mark Grissom of Bay City. Grier sold the cattle at the Rosharon sale barn and split the money with Stone. Both Grier and Stone were arrested.
      On July 22, 2002, Deanne K. Peters was tried in the 23rd District Court of Matagorda County, Texas, for engaging in organized criminal activity. She pled guilty and was given a 10-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $223 in court costs.
      At press time Shawn Stone was incarcerated in Little Rock, Ark., awaiting trial for felony escape. Upon disposition of those charges, he will be transported back to Matagorda County to face charges of cattle theft. Charges against Grier are pending.
      Officers involved in the investigation included Capt. Richard Ruth and Investigators Susan Maxwell and Jake Roberts, all from the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office.
      Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 125-year-old trade organization whose 13,200 members manage approximately 5.4 million cattle on 70.3 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma.

Accused Cattle Thief Goes on Crime Spree
Trial: November 2001
          A suspect in the theft of $1.8 million worth of cattle took off when he learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. The events that followed read like a scenario for some TV crime show.
          The suspect’s desperate attempts to escape led to theft of an auto and a high-speed chase, an out-of-control crash and headlong flight into the woods, an all-night manhunt led by bloodhounds, aggravated kidnapping and rape of a suspicious girlfriend, a suicide threat at the moment of capture, a daring jail break, an elderly couple held hostage and the shooting of a fellow escapee.
          The real-life drama began when a South Texas rancher called Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for help. The rancher reported that some of his cattle had been sold without his permission. They had been pastured on land leased from Bob Harold Leach in Pilot Point, Texas.
          Subsequent investigation by TSCRA Inspectors H.D. Brittain and Troy McKinney revealed that Leach and his wife Tami had sold the cattle of several ranchers who were boarding cattle with them. Total estimated value of the missing cattle was $1.8 million.
          The TSCRA inspectors were joined in the investigation by Texas Ranger Tracy Murphree. When they discovered that some of the cattle had been sold across state lines, that made it a federal offense and they contacted FBI Special Agent Ron Watson.
          An arrest warrant was issued for the Leaches on July 16, 2001. Tami Leach surrendered the next day and was released on $50,000 bail. Bob Leach disappeared.
          The investigators were aided by a girlfriend of Leach who had become suspicious. She had lent Leach $200,000, and even though he was selling a lot of cattle, he told her he could not pay her back. She checked some cell phone records and found the names and numbers of some ranchers with whom Leach did business.
          A phone call to one of the ranchers added to her suspicions. But when Leach called and vowed innocence, she allowed herself to believe him. He persuaded her to go with him to Oklahoma where, he said, a friend would give him the money to hire an attorney and repay her.
Kidnapping and rape
          When they stopped at a cabin near Pottsboro, Texas, Leach became suspicious. He tied her up and went through her things, finding some cards from the law enforcement officers who had questioned her. Infuriated, Leach assaulted her sexually and repeatedly threatened her with his handgun.
          When Leach went out to move her SUV, she managed to get out the back way. Still tied up, she struggled to another cabin where she called 911. Shortly thereafter, her Ford Expedition was spotted by a Pottsboro police officer and Leach sped off. The officer followed in a perilous pursuit through the back roads of Grayson County. He was joined by officers from the Sherman, Whitesboro, Collinsville and Gunter police departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department.
          The high-speed chase ended abruptly when Leach lost control on a sharp turn and wrecked the SUV. The trailing vehicles skidded to a stop on the gravel road, raising a cloud of dust. It gave Leach just enough cover to dive into the adjacent woods without being spotted.
          The officers surrounded the SUV and called for the special response team. Armed with high-powered rifles, they tried for two hours to get Leach to surrender. Several rounds of tear gas were lobbed at the car. When there was no sign of movement, the officers approached cautiously. The car was empty.
          Officers on horseback aided by tracking dogs searched all night. When they finally cornered Leach in a barn the next morning, the fugitive put a gun to his own chest and threatened to commit suicide. One of the officers talked him out of it and persuaded him to surrender.
          Leach was confined in the Grayson County jail, and on July 28, was arraigned on a charge of aggravated kidnapping. Unable to get bail because of an outstanding warrant for a previous parole violation, he made a dangerous decision. On Oct. 11, Leach and four other men dug their way out of the jail.
          Three days later with the law in hot pursuit, Leach and one of the other escapees broke into a Montague County farmhouse and took the elderly owners hostage. After a standoff lasting several hours, Leach helped the elderly couple to escape. In an attempt to get out of the house himself, he shot the other fugitive in the stomach. All five escapees were eventually returned to jail.
A life sentence
          In late November, Leach was tried in Grayson County on the aggravated kidnapping charges. He pleaded not guilty, but the jury didn’t agree. Leach was convicted. During the punishment phase on Monday, Dec. 3, he entered a surprise plea bargain, agreeing to accept a life sentence for the kidnapping and a 20-year sentence on an escape charge.
          That puts an end to the charges against Leach in Grayson County. However, he still faces cattle rustling charges in Denton County and numerous charges in Collin, Wood, Fannin and Montague counties.
          Texas Ranger Lt. Richard H. Sweaney praised the tireless dedication of TSCRA Inspectors H.D. Brittain and Troy McKinney. “Every time the rangers gathered up to look for the suspects, H.D. and Troy were there. Several nights when others went home, these two stayed hitched with us.”

Teamwork Stymies Cattle Thieves
Trial: September 2001
          The seamless teamwork of TSCRA Field Inspectors, local law enforcement officers and Texas sale barns paid off once again in uncovering evidence that led to the conviction of two cattle thieves.
          On Oct. 29, 2000, Bastrop County Constable Gus Meduna called TSCRA Field Inspector Keith Korenek to advise that livestock had been stolen of Charles Hilcher’s lease pasture in Bastrop County. Korenek got a copy of the sheriff’s department report and checked out local auction barns.
          Finding nothing, he met with fellow TSCRA inspector Gary Baros and obtained sale records from the Gonzales auction which revealed that six cows matching the description of those stolen had been sold on Oct. 30.
          The records showed that the livestock had been sold by Cody McNeil of Smithville, Texas, and hauled by Robert Shane Hirsch. When questioned, McNeil admitted to stealing six cattle from Hilcher. Hirsch subsequently admitted that he knew he was hauling stolen cattle, though he had not helped to take them from Hilcher’s pasture. He had purchased one of the cows from McNeil and showed law enforcement officers it was penned.
          Hirsch told the officers that McNeill had also used his trailer to haul seven Limousin heifers, which were penned in the same location on Hirsch's property, ostensibly because McNeil had nowhere to keep them. A subsequent check by the officers revealed that the Limousin-cross heifers matched the description of cattle reported stolen by Richard Neidig of McDade, Texas.
          McNeil and Hirsch were indicted and both pled guilty to theft of livestock. Both were tried in September 2001 in the 21st Judicial Court of Bastrop County. Each received 10 years deferred adjudication and was ordered to pay $1,960.27 in restitution, a $2,000 fine and court costs of $211.25.
          Investigating officers in addition to Meduna, Korenek, and Baros were David Easley and Danny Wofford, both investigators with the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Department.

Muddled Thinking Exposes Cattle Thief
Trial: August 2001
          How do you sell a horse that doesn’t belong to you to two different people without thinking somebody’s gonna notice?
          That’s just the no-brainer situation TSCRA Field Inspector Jack Andrews found himself investigating last March. He got a call for assistance from Glenn Davis, investigator with the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Department.
          Bennie Jeter of Arlington, Texas, told the officer that Jimmy Anderson of San Angelo had sold one of his mares without his permission. Anderson had been standing Jeter’s stallion and breeding some of his mare. But that wasn’t all, said Jeter. Anderson had sold the same mare to two different individuals—Jack Thornton of De Ridder, La., and Charles Chaisson of Welsh, La. Both men were contacted and confirmed that they had paid Anderson for the mare.
          Anderson was questioned and his attorney agreed to let him take a polygraph test. He failed. He subsequently gave officers a statement admitting that he took monies for the sale of the mare and used them for his personal benefit.
          James Vernon Anderson was tried in the 51st Judicial District Court in Tom Green County on Aug. 14, 2001. He pled guilty to one count of theft and received a five-year probated sentence He was also ordered to pay restitution of $5,850 to Jeter, $1,655 to Thornton and $3,203.41 to Chaisson for a total of $10,708.41.

Cattle Thief Kidnaps Driver at Gun Point
Reported: July 2001
          TSCRA Field Inspector Mike Strong got an urgent call July 12. A brazen cattle thief had commandeered an 18-wheeler load of cattle and kidnapped the driver at gun point.
          Carnie Burcham from the Louisiana Livestock Brand Commission told Strong that the driver, his truck and 51 head of cattle were missing from Producers Livestock in Bossier Parish, La. Strong went immediately to the Longview Livestock Auction to see if any cattle had been unloaded from an 18-wheeler before daylight. Nothing turned up.
          When Strong called to report his findings, Burcham advised him that a suspect had been caught when he tried to take the truck back to the sale barn. The driver, who had been tied up in the sleeper, had freed himself and jumped from the truck at a bridge on the Red River. He ran for help and notified the Bossier police who took the suspect into custody.
          Strong remembered the suspect from a previous theft case in Texas. When told that the trip meter on the truck showed it had travelled 240 miles, Strong estimated that it could have gone as far as Jacksonville, Texas. Strong called fellow TSCRA Inspector Jimmy Dickson and asked him to check out property owned near Jacksonville by the suspect’s father. Dickson came up empty.
          Later that same day, however, Dickson got a call from Bullard Police Chief Gary Lewis. The suspect’s girlfriend had told Lewis that the suspect “leased” some land near Mixon. A search of the place showed signs that a large truck had been backed down a hill and cattle had been unloaded into a makeshift pen.
          Desperate for water, the cattle had broken out of the pen and were scattered along a marsh that ran through neighboring properties. Dickson contacted the neighbors and arranged to pen the cattle; 38 head were found on one place,11 head were found on another and two head were never found. Total value of the 49 head recovered was $21,865.
          At last report the suspect was in jail in Bossier Parish, La., charged with aggravated kidnapping and 51 counts of theft.

Trusted Employee Steals Cattle
Trial: June 2001
          Suspicious behavior from a trusted employee of several years alerted a wary rancher to look for a thief in “his own back yard.”
          The first sign of trouble came in 1999 when Robert C. Carr, owner of L Bar Ranch, discovered that 11 heavy-duty cattle panels were missing from one of his ranches. Carr has ranches in Caldwell, Hays, Bastrop and Travis counties in Texas.
          In January, two registered fillies were missing from the same location. There were no tracks—even after a rain. Two-and-a-half weeks later, an employee of several years, Jose Betancourt, purchased 58 acres in San Luis, Mexico. Betancourt, a caretaker for Carr’s cattle, had no resources for that sort of purchase.
          Carr began checking his pastures for anything unusual—cows with big udders where babies had been taken away, tracks backed up to corrals, calf numbers and identifications. He found that several calves were missing.
          On July 17, TSCRA Field Inspector Keith Korenek called Carr to tell him about an anonymous tip that Betancourt and Esteban Perez were stealing the cattle. However, they were still unable to determine where the calves had been sold; neither Betancourt’s nor Perez’s name showed up on any sale records.
          When another employee told him Betancourt was buying a house and putting $20,000 down, Carr knew he had to act fast. He contacted Keith Bexley, manager at Lockhart Livestock Auction and asked him to keep an eye out for any calves that might be his.
          On Sept. 28, Bexley told Carr that there were six calves at his auction with newly cut, U-shaped ear notches—still bleeding. Bexley ran the name of the seller and discovered that several more loads had been sold at different times under the same name.
          Korenek found out that sale checks for all of these cattle had been picked up in person and staked out the auction. A woman arrived and asked for the check. Her husband—Esteban Perez—was waiting in the truck.
          When questioned, Perez admitted that Betancourt had asked him to deliver the cattle and to find someone to register the cattle in their name. Perez stated that he registered the cattle under the name of his sister-in-law.
          The calves recovered from the Lockhart Auction were returned to Carr’s ranch, where they paired up with their mamas.
          By using TSCRA market inspection records to trace the name of Perez’s sister-in-law on various sales, it was determined that between April 7, 2000, and Sept. 28, 2000, 110 calves and two horses stolen from Carr had been sold at the Luling, Lockhart, Gonzales and Hills Prairie auctions for a total of $38,702.
          Betancourt and Perez were charged with Third Degree Felony Theft and were tried on June 7, 2001, in the 22nd Judicial District Court in Caldwell County, Texas. Both pled guilty.
          They were sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $39,752.72 in restitution.
          Investigating officers in the case were TSCRA Field Inspectors Keith Korenek and Gary Baros; Melvin Tucker Jr., deputy, Travis County Sheriff’s Department; Hector Rangel, deputy, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department: Elmer Joseph, deputy, Travis Count Sheriff’s Department; and Steve Spencer, investigator, Bastrop County Sheriff’s Department.

Thief Steals Calves To Cover Bad Debt
Trial: May 2001
          Jerimy Don Pence doubled his troubles when he stole cattle from his employer to cover bank debt on six head he had mortgaged and sold illegally.
          Owners of the stolen cattle contacted TSCRA Field Inspector Scott Williamson who traced Pence’s paper trail as he dug himself deeper into trouble over a two-year period.
          In the spring of 1999, Pence, 23, of Elmer, Okla., purchased six springer cows with money acquired through a loan from Guarantee State Bank in Mangum, Okla. A year later, he sold three pairs of these cattle at the Hollis Livestock Auction. To cover his tracks, he used his sister’s name as consignor. He kept most of the money and gave some to his sister. A few months later, he sold the remaining three pairs in the same manner.
          When the note came due, he told the loan officer that the cattle were turned out on the Mock Brothers place in Altus, Okla., where he had worked for two years. Pence began catching unbranded cattle along the Red River and selling them, this time under his girlfriend’s name. He still did not pay his bank note.
          On Feb. 1, 2001, Pence was informed that he had to make payment on his past-due loan. The next day, he used a Mock Brothers pickup and trailer to load five head from the sick trap at Mock Brothers feedlot headquarters east of Altus.
          He hauled them to Hollis Livestock Auction and consigned four head under his name and the bank’s and one under his girlfriend’s name.
          When Williamson confronted the suspect, Pence gave him a written confession. Pence was tried on May 15 2001, in the District Court of Jackson County, Okla., and pled guilty to Larceny of a Domestic Animal. He was sentenced to three years deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $300 fine, $113 in courts costs, a $50 victim’s compensation assessment and $30 in warrant fees.

Dead Calves Found in Thieves’ Pickup
Trial: March 2001 and May 2001
          William Troy Cleveland and Earl Lee Floyd have been found guilty of stealing two calves from Jewell Larry Hughes of Choctaw County, Okla.
          On Dec. 17, 2000, Hughes was checking his cattle in a leased pasture and found that two calves were missing. Noticing tracks of a pickup and tractor in the pasture, he looked further and found the pickup with two dead calves in it.
          He reported the incident to Choctaw County Deputy Sheriff John Paul Bozeman who immediately contacted TSCRA Field Inspector Paul Wade. Cleveland and Floyd were discovered in the pasture.
          They said they had accidentally shot the calves while hunting wild hogs. Since both calves were shot in the forehead, the story didn’t hold up. Wade and Bozeman took the case to the district attorney.
          Both subjects were subsequently indicted and waived their rights to a trial by jury. Each was tried in open proceedings in the District Court of Choctaw County, Okla.,—Cleveland on March 8, 2001, and Floyd on May 29, 2001.
          Each entered a plea of no contest/guilty to the crime of Larceny of a Domestic Animal. Each received four years deferred adjudication and was ordered to pay $525 in restitution and $220 in court costs.

Suspect Admits He Kept Stray Horses
Trial: January 2001
          TSCRA field inspector Paul Wade of Antlers, Okla., helped recover a stray horse which had been picked up and kept, with no effort to determine the owners.
          On Sept. 6, 2000, Wade was asked to check out the possibility that a bay mare belonging to Ramona Young and Raymond Hardway of Battiest, Okla., was being kept in a pasture owned by Roger Erwin in Rattan, Okla.
          The couple explained that the mare and her baby colt had gotten out of Young’s pasture and had been running free in the nearby mountains.
          Wade and several local law enforcement officers went to Erwin’s place and asked about the missing horses.
          Erwin said he had found them running loose in the mountains. He caught them and brought them home, but had never reported it or tried to find the rightful owner.
          Unfortunately, Erwin said the colt had gotten out of his pasture that very morning and had been killed on the highway. The body of the colt was in his trailer.
          Erwin stipulated in writing that Young could take her mare, valued at $1,500.
          Because of his failure to report finding the horses, Roger Wayne Erwin was charged with larceny of a domestic animal.
          On Jan. 5, 2001, he pled guilty before a judge in the District Court of Pushmataha County, Okla. He received a three-year deferred sentence and was ordered to pay $203 in court costs.
          Investigating officers included Wade; Ray Sorrell and Curt Ingram of the Pushmataha County Sheriff’s Office; and Scott Baze of the Rattan, Okla., Police Department.

Property Recovered from Multiple Thefts
Trial: October 2000
          TSCRA Field Inspector Kelly Rushing of Pampa, Texas, helped convict suspects participating in a scheme to steal shop equipment in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and sell it in Mexico.
          Most of the property from several thefts and burglaries was identified and returned to the owners. Total value was $50,000.
          The break in the thefts came on April 13, 2000, when a large amount of tools and equipment was taken from a victim who was putting in a pipeline in rural Roberts County north of Pampa, Texas. A witness had noticed a vehicle in the area the previous evening and provided the license number of a vehicle and a description of the driver.
          The license number was traced to Raquel Godoy, the girlfriend of Hector Urrutia of Pampa. Urrutia matched the description of the witness. Godoy also had a black pickup which had been described in one of the other theft reports. The pickup was registered to Godoy’s father, Asencion Perez of Pampa.
          Information from a confidential source indicated that Perez, Urrutia and others were stealing property according to what was ordered in Mexico and selling it for cash.
          Perez and Urrutia were arrested just outside Pampa on May 29, 2000, for a traffic violation. They were driving a black pickup carrying several pieces of equipment. One piece bore the name of a construction company and an 800 number.
          Perez admitted that the items had been stolen a few hours earlier from a construction site just inside the Oklahoma state line.
          Both men were tried on Oct. 16, 2000, in the 84th Judicial District Court in Ochiltree County.
          Asencion Perez pled guilty to burglary of a habitation and was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. He also pled guilty to four counts of burglary of a building and two counts of theft, and was sentenced two years in a state jail facility for each count.
          The six two-year state jail sentences will run concurrently with the five-year penitentiary sentence. Perez was also ordered to pay a total of $18,347.83 in restitution and $1,835.75 in court costs on seven separate counts.
          Hector Urrutia pled guilty to three counts of burglary and two counts of theft. He was sentenced to two years in the state jail for each count, to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a total of $8,775.73 in restitution and $1,311.25 in court costs.
          Officers involved in the case included Rushing; Texas Rangers Sgt. Gary Henderson of Pampa; Roberts County Sheriff Bill Britton; Gray County Sheriff Don Copeland; Lipscomb County Sheriff James Robertson; Ellis County, Okla., Sheriff Duane Miller; Gray County Chief Deputy David Russell; Gray County Deputies Rick Smithey, Morse Burroughs and Cary Rushing; Roberts County Deputies Buck Williams and Brad Benge.

Preconditioning Agent Steals Cattle
Trial: October 2000
          TSCRA Field Inspector Jack Andrews of Brady, Texas, helped recover approximately 90 head of yearlings stolen from Jack Walton of Olathe, Kan.
          Walton called Andrews on Sept. 17, 1997, and told him that from June 1996 to April 1997, he had sent 1,123 steers and 722 heifers to be preconditioned at Mesa Cattle Co. in Schleicher County, Texas. The company was operated by Bobby Wayne Crawford.
          When Walton went to Mesa on Sept. 10, he learned that only 30 of his cattle were in the pens and that Crawford had disappeared. He also learned that some of his cattle were on ranches in Christoval and Wall, Texas, and was able to recover 1,099 head. Walton said Crawford was not authorized to sell any of his cattle.
          Andrews investigated and found that 64 cattle bearing Walton’s brand had been sold to Producers Livestock Auction in San Angelo. He also talked to two livestock haulers who had picked up cattle for Crawford and delivered them to various locations.
          On Oct. 23, 2000, Crawford appeared before the 81st Judicial District Court in Schleicher County, Texas, and confessed to “unlawfully appropriating” cattle from Hank Walton. He was placed on four years deferred adjudication probation and ordered to pay $23,809.36 in restitution and spend 160 hours in community service.

TSCRA Inspector helps recover teen’s missing horse
Reported : August 2000
      Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Field Inspector H. D. Brittain is a certified hero in the eyes of one Texas teenager. Brittain played a major role in finding and returning the broken-hearted youngster’s missing mare.
      The dreams of 15-year-old Shanda Cruz of Azle, Texas, are inexorably connected to her love for her Arabian mare, Persiaa.
      Shanda has cerebral palsy and hopes she and Persiaa can qualify for the riding competition in the 2002 international Special Olympics in Germany. The pair have already earned more than a dozen Special Olympics medals.
      But the dream became a nightmare when the 18-year-old pregnant mare disappeared sometime after 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. Shanda’s mother, Shannon Cruz, discovered Persiaa was missing when she went to feed the family’s horses the next morning.
      An initial search of the 30-acre farm proved fruitless. Fearing the horse had been stolen, the family immediately called all the places where a stolen horse might be taken. That’s when Brittain joined the investigation.
      “I was pretty sure the mare was somewhere on the premises,” Brittain said. “There were no signs that she had been taken from the property.”
      On Tuesday morning, Brittain and Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Livestock Enforcement Deputies Ralph Clemons and Karl Westen mounted up and systematically scoured the area. They, too, turned up nothing after an exhaustive search that ended in a 10-foot deep, heavily brush-infested draw.
      The three were climbing out of the draw to return to the house when they heard a whinny. “I looked back and we could barely see the top of her ears over the draw,” Brittain said. “She was in thick brush and had gotten her front legs straddled across a rusty, barbed wire fence.”
      Brittain fought his way through the brush and briars to cut the wires and drop a lead rope around the mare’s neck.
      “She was dehydrated, had a deep gash on her left front leg and was stiff from standing there so long. She really didn’t want to move,” he said.
      Gently, the three searchers urged the exhausted mare out of her predicament and led her back to a joyful reunion.
      “It’s a total relief that she’s alive and OK and that they can continue their dreams,” concluded Shanda’s mother.
      A big grin lights up Brittain’s face when he talks about this happy ending, but the officer reminds horse owners that good records and identification are the best way to make sure that stolen or strayed horses are returned to their owners.
      “Take good, clean photographs, showing all of the horse’s marks and keep these with your ownership papers,” he advises. “Horse photos should be taken without any saddles, tack or riders.”

Thief Ordered To Pay $79,000 Restitution
Trial: August 2000
          TSCRA Field Inspector Jack Andrews of Brady, Texas, subpoenaed bank records to prove that a suspect never had enough funds to pay for 140 heifers purchased from Richard Bode of San Saba, Texas.
          Bode sold the heifers to Rickey Shane Hasha, 40, of Baird, Texas, on Dec. 10, 1997. Hasha was supposed to wire payment of $67,061.45. More than a year later, Bode had not been able to collect.
          Bode contacted San Saba County Sheriff John Benner, who brought in TSCRA Inspector Andrews. Bode told Andrews Hasha had called frequently looking for cattle, and they had common cattle business contacts who seemed to think Hasha was trustworthy.
          When the deal was made for the 140 heifers, Hasha called Bode and told him he would not be able to receive the cattle himself, but that he was sending trucks to pick them up. Hasha said he had sold the cattle to Eastern Livestock Co., a large company with whom Bode had also done business. Hasha assured Bode he would send the check overnight. It never came.
          When Andrews subpoenaed the banking records of Hasha, he found that Hasha had deposited a check from Eastern Livestock Co. and that funds were deposited into another account. On Jan. 6, 1998, the bank seized the account to pay on Hasha’s notes; however, the amount was well shy of the amount owed Bode.
          Hasha was arrested on July 7, 1999, and charged with theft. He was tried Aug. 21, 2000, in the 33rd Judicial District Court of San Saba County. Hasha pled guilty. He received 10 years deferred adjudication and was order to pay $79,361.45 in restitution, a $500 fine and court costs of $40.

Theft Solved Quickly
Trial: May 2000
          TSCRA’s theft investigation system brought a quick solution to the theft of eight cattle from the Circle F Ranch in Red Oak, Okla.
          Ranch foreman Clyde Coffey called Latimer County Sheriff Melvin Holley to report the cattle missing on or about Jan. 10, 2000. Holley immediately notified TSCRA Field Inspector Paul Wade of Antlers, Okla.
          Working together Wade and Holley discovered that Kathy Lou Martin, 37, had been seen in the area during the time of the theft, pulling a trailer with cattle in it.
          They checked the area sale barns and found that Martin had sold cattle at the Poor-Boy Sale Barn in Wister, Okla.
          Wade traced some of the cattle and checked ownership through the Bang’s tags in their ears.
          Kathy Lou Martin was tried in the District Court of Latimer County Oklahoma on May 25, 2000. She pled guilty to eight counts of larceny of a domestic animal.
          Martin received a one-year probated sentence and was directed to pay $4,185.85 in restitution, a $1,000 fine, $180 in court costs and $250 to the Victim’s Compensation Fund.

Theft Case Outlines

Defendant: Jose Carrizales Jr.
Date of Birth: 09-07-80
Charge: Theft More Than $1,500 and Less Than $20,000 (By Check)
Property Involved: Worthless check
Date of Offense: 02-27-07
Victim: Amarillo Livestock Auction
Location of Offense: Amarillo, Texas
Trial Date: 08-06-07
Trial Court: 251^st District Court, Amarillo, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Six months state jail
Restitution: $1682.55
Court Costs: $671
TSCRA Special Ranger: Kenneth Chambers

Defendant: Kayden Rae McNeill
Date of Birth: 04/28/83
Charge: Theft (Less Than 10 Head of Livestock)
Property Involved: Two gelding Quarter Horse-type horses
Date of Offense: 05/11/06
Victim: John Putnam
Location of Offense: Southwest Throckmorton County, Texas
Trial Date: 07/11/07
Trial Court: 39^th District Court, Throckmorton, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Three years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $300
Fine: $1,500
Court Costs: $288
Community Service: 180 hours
TSCRA Special Ranger: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Ken Miniard, TSCRA Special Ranger, Loving, Texas; H.D. Brittain, TSCRA Special Ranger; Weatherford, Texas; John Riley, sheriff, Throckmorton, Texas; Kevin Nowell, deputy sheriff, Breckenridge, Texas.

Defendant: Walter Boyd Edwards
Date of Birth: 07-10-25
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: Two Red Angus cows
Date of Offense: 03-02-07
Victim: Thomas Bryan Beavers
Location of Offense: Marshall, Texas
Trial Date: 07-03-07
Trial Court: 71^st Judicial District Court, Marshall, Texas
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: Two years deferred adjudication
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: Unknown
Community Service: 120 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,600
TSCRA Special Ranger: Doug Hutchison
Other Investigators: Tom McCool, Harrison County sheriff, Bobby Gibbons, chief deputy, Sgt. B. George, C. Welk, deputy, and Joe Black, Harrison County district attorney.

Defendants: Stephen Minton, Justine Cline and Anthony Seale
Dates of Birth: Stephen, 02/18/83; Justine, 02/21/82; Anthony, 04/16/86
Charge: Theft Over $1500, Under $20,000
Property Involved: 30 yearling cattle
Date of Offense: 10/19/06
Victim: Duwayne Turner
Location of Offense: Coryell County, Texas
Trial Dates: Stephen, 04/02/07; Justine, 03/12/07; Anthony, 04/18/07
Trial Court: 52^nd District Court, Coryell County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Two years deferred adjudication, each
Fine: $1,500, each
Court Costs: $241, each
Community Service: 120 hours, each
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $12,861.30
TSCRA Special Ranger: Eddie Foreman
Other Investigators: Ricky Helms, Coryell County Sheriff’s Office, Gatesville, Texas; Jack Andrews, TSCRA Special Ranger, Brady, Texas; Johnny Burk, sheriff, Gatesville, Texas.

Defendants: Shane Lemuel Hoodenpyle, Welch, Okla., and Michael Dewayne Wooten
Date of Birth: Shane, 09-09-78; Michael, 01-05-80
Charges: Larceny of Domestic Animals, Conspiracy
Property Involved: Nine cows, 1,200-1,250 pounds each; one black calf, 250 pounds
Date of Offense: 12-20-05 to 12-22-05, 01-04-06
Victim: Mike Nemec
Location of Offense: Perry, Okla.
Trial Date: 04-05-07
Trial Court: District Court of Noble County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty, each
Sentence: Shane, seven years state penitentiary and four years suspended sentence; Michael, five years state penitentiary and three years suspended sentence.
Restitution: $3,000, each
Fine: $1,000, each
Court Costs: $500, each
TSCRA Special Ranger: Joe Rector

Defendant: John Richard McKay, Kingfisher, Okla.
Date of Birth: 09-16-84
Charges: Concealing Stolen Property, Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: 5 cows and heifers, 800-1,000 pounds each
Date of Offense: 04-06-05 to 04-07-05
Victim: Ray Nice
Location of Offense: Kingfisher County, Okla.
Trial Dates: 05-31-06, 04-02-07
Trial Courts: District Court of Garfield County, Okla.; District Court of Logan County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty to both charges
Sentence: Three years deferred adjudication for Concealing Stolen Property and five years suspended sentence for Larceny of Livestock.
Total Restitution: $9,100
Total Fines: $150
Total Court Costs: $362
Community Service: 85 hours
TSCRA Special Ranger: Joe Rector
Other Investigators: Dennis Banther, sheriff, Kingfisher, Okla.; Eldon Dickson, undersheriff, Kingfisher, Okla.

Defendant: Barbara Diane Holland
Date of Birth: 06-14-51
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 30 mixed cattle
Date of Offense: 06-29-05
Victims: Jamie Estrada, Jesse Reese and Crow Hollow Feed Yard
Location of Offense: Cattle stolen from Cottle County, Texas, and moved to Donley County, Texas
Trial Date: 3-5-07
Trial Court: 100^th Judicial Court, Clarendon, Texas
Plea: No Contest
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: Three years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $3,150 to Jamie Estrada, $1,250 to Jesse Reese and $1,200 to Crow Hollow Feed Yard
Court Costs: $348
TSCRA Special Ranger: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Butch Blackburn, sheriff, Donley County, Texas; Randy Bond, chief deputy, Donley County, Texas; Ken Burns, sheriff, Cottle County, Texas; Mike Pigg, sheriff, Childress County, Texas; Ben Eggleston, TSCRA Special Ranger, Higgins, Texas; Kenneth Chambers, TSCRA Special Ranger, Dawn, Texas; and Dean Bohannon, TSCRA Special Ranger, Lubbock, Texas.

Defendant: Ronald Ragland, Leander, Texas
Date of Birth: 08-13-51
Charge: Theft of Service Over $20,000 Under $100,000 (Aggregated, By Check)
Property Involved: Worthless checks
Date of Offense: 06-09-06
Victim: Francisco Vargas
Location of Offense: Amarillo, Texas
Trial Date: 02-28-07
Trial Court: 47^th District Court, Amarillo, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Five years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $17,000
Fine: $300
Court Costs: $306
Community Service: 120 hours
TSCRA Special Ranger: Kenneth Chambers

Defendant: Manuel Perez
Date of Birth: 08-07-87
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: Two calves from Dale Felps and one calf from Pearsall Livestock Auction
Dates of Offense: 07-02-06 and 08-21-06
Victim: Dale Felps and Pearsall Livestock Auction
Location of Offense: Frio County, Texas
Trial Date: 02-13-07
Trial Court: 218^th District Court, Pearsall, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Two years state jail and four years probation
Restitution: $586.08 paid to Dale Felps and $112.08 paid to Pearsall Livestock Auction
Fine: $1500
Court Costs: $253
Community Service: 300 hours
TSCRA Special Rangers: Robin Clark and Max Hartmann
Other Investigators: Albert DeLeon, chief deputy sheriff, Frio County, Texas; and Cyrus Cantu, sergeant, Frio County, Texas.

Defendant: Stacey Paul Enderli, Liberty, Texas.
Date of Birth: 8-6-70
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: One six-year-old Beefmaster-Charolais cross bull
Date of Offense: 5-1-06
Victim: Randall G. Sullivan, Liberty, Texas
Location of Offense: Liberty County, Texas
Trial Date: 12-10-06
Trial Court: 75th Judicial District Court of Liberty County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Two years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $2,500
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $277
Community Service: 120 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,500
TSCRA Special Ranger: Jimmy Belt

Defendant: Ricky Shane Hasha of Abilene, Texas
Date of Birth: 1-30-1957
Charge: Theft over $20,000 and Under 100,000
Property Involved: Fictitious nvoices for payment on cattle
Date of Offense: 8-31-01
Victim: Jim King, Amarillo, Texas
Trial Date: 10-28-2006
Trial Court: 251st District Court of Potter County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years, deferred
Restitution: $60,126.97
Court Costs: $667.25
TSCRA Special Ranger: Kenneth Chambers

Defendant: Shawn Curtis Biggs of Rigby, Idaho
Date of Birth: 2-27-1967
Charge: Theft ($1,500-$20,000)
Property Involved: One custom saddle and veterinary medicine
Date of Offense: 3-11-2006
Victim: Mark Stewart, Haskell, Texas
Location of Offense: Haskell County, Texas
Trial Date: 10-13-2006
Trial Court: 39th District Court of Haskell County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 3 years, deferred
Restitution: $1,252.80
Fine: $2,000
Court Costs: $592
Community Service: 180 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,000
TSCRA Special Ranger: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: TSCRA Special Ranger Ken Miniard; Chase Nolen, deputy, Wise County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Marschelle Lavern Stewart, Lincoln, Texas
Date of Birth: 10-22-62
Charge: Criminal Mischief, $500-$1,500
Property Involved: Nine commercial cows and two calves
Date of Offense: Between 3-20-05 and 6-20-05
Victim: Carolyn Thornton, Calvert, Texas
Location of Offense: Lee County, Texas
Trial Date: 10-12-06
Trial Court: 21st Judicial District Court of Lee County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Two years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $6,412.50
Court Costs: $688
Community Service: 250 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $6,413
TSCRA Special Ranger: Chad Barfknecht

Defendant: Leoma L. Motes, Burleson, Texas.
Date of Birth: 4-20-1955
Charge: Criminal Trespass
Property Involved: Three calves
Date of Offense: 2-3-2005
Victim: Gary L. Burden
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: 9-20-2006
Trial Court: Erath County Court at Law
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: One year probation
Restitution: $750
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: $238
Community Service: 100 hours
TSCRA Special Ranger: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Investigator Terrell Dickerson and Deputy Bob Gonzales, both with the Erath County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Cecilio Garza, Hereford, Texas
Date of Birth: 10-27-1985
Charge: Burglary
Property Involved: Saddle
Date of Offense: 6-16-2006
Victim: Jessie Valdez, Hereford, Texas
Location of Offense: Castro County, Texas
Trial Date: 9-15-2006
Trial Court: 64th District Court
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 4 years probation
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: $286
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,000
TSCRA Special Ranger: Kenneth Chambers
Other Investigators: Clint Cox, Castro County Sheriff’s Office

Defendant: Kenneth Ray Faust, Conroe, Texas
Date of Birth: 5-08-81
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: 12-year-old gelding
Date of Offense: Between 7-15-05 and 8-15-05
Victim: Max Ebner, Giddings, Texas
Location of Offense: Lee County, Texas
Trial Date: 7-31-06
Trial Court: County Court of Lee County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: One year probation
Restitution: $600
Fine: $500
Court Costs: 309
Community Service: 50 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $600
TSCRA Special Ranger: Chad Barfknecht

Defendant 1: Jeremy Glen Croucher, Dublin, Texas
Date of Birth: 9-30-1985
Defendant 2: Jaime Monrreal Jr., Dublin, Texas
Date of Birth: 0-25-1986
Charge: Theft of Livestock, More Than 10 Head
Property Involved: 14 cows and 11 calves
Date of Offense: 1-14-2005
Victim: Imogene Hall, Dublin, Texas
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: 7-24-2006
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence, Defendant 1: 2 years deferred adjudication; alternate sentencing: agreed to testify against co-defendants if called upon.
Sentence, Defendant 2: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution, Defendant 2: $4,414
Fine (1 and 2): $1,000, each
Court Costs (1 and 2): $295, each
Community Service 1 and 2: 300 hours, each
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $12,553.60
TSCRA Special Ranger: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: James Groves, deputy, Erath County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Paul Darwin Anderson, Duke, Okla.
Date of Birth: 6-19-1959
Charge: Obtaining Money by False Pretenses
Property Involved: Check for 20 head of cattle returned for insufficient funds
Date of Offense: 12-21-2004
Victim: Bob Huddleston, Granite, Okla.
Location of Offense: Greer County, Okla.
Trial Date: 7-6-2006
Trial Court: District Court of Greer County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years, state penitentiary due to prior conviction
Restitution: $19,300 plus interest
Fine: $3,000
Court Costs: $575.90
Jail Fees: $6,440
TSCRA Special Ranger: Scott Williamson

Defendant: Brandon Lee Feist
Date of Birth: 8-28-1986
Charge: Theft $500 or more, but less than $1,500
Property Involved: 14 black or black baldie cows, 8 Charolais calves, 3 red, white-face calves
Date of Offense: 1-14-2005
Victim's Name: Imogene Hall, Dublin, Texas
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: 6-30-2006
Trial Court: Erath County Court at Law
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Six months, deferred
Fine: $750
Court Costs: $288
Community Service:
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $12,553.60, 12 cows recovered
TSCRA Special Ranger: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Deputy James Groves, Erath County Sheriff's Department

Defendant: Shane Eugene Waite
Date of Birth: 01-24-59
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: Mortgage Funds
Date of Offense: 03-01-01
Victim: First State Bank
Location of Offense: Spearman, Texas
Trial Date: 06-06-06
Trial Court: 84^th Judicial District
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Nine months deferred adjudication
Restitution: $18,904.91, paid prior to guilty plea
Court Costs: $252.25
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $56,173.43
TSCRA Special Ranger: Kenneth Chambers

Defendant: Joe W. Cooper, McCaulley, Texas
Date of Birth: 11-11-1951
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: 59 head of yearlings purchased with a check returned for insufficient funds
Date of Offense: 9-24-2005
Victim's Name: Haskell Livestock Auction
Location of Offense: Haskell County, Texas
Trial Date: 4-10-2006
Trial Court: 39th Judicial District Court of Haskell County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years probation
Restitution: $43,908.09
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $297
Community Service: 240 hours
TSCRA Special Ranger: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Luke Griffin, Haskell County District Attorney's Investigator

Defendant: Claude Wayne Scott
Date of Birth: 10-20-1976
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: Eight cows, four calves, mixed breeds
Date of Offense: 12-28-2002
Victim's Name: William Wadley, Clarksville, Texas
Location of Offense: Red River County, Texas
Trial Date: 2-28-2006
Trial Court: 102nd Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Not Guilty
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years, probated
Restitution: $1,838
Fine: $10,000
Court Costs: $353
TSCRA Special Ranger: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Jimmy Groves, investigator, Red River County Sheriff's Department

Defendant: Clark Joseph Ward, Abilene, Texas
Date of Birth: 03-21-78|
Charge: Theft Greater Than $1,000 and Less Than $25,000 Stolen Property
Property Involved: 44 Charolais and black 650-pound heifers
Date of Offense: 01-10-05
Victim: John Hermann
Location of Offense: Dodge City, Kan.
Trial Date: 01-19-06
Trial Court: District Court of Ford County, Kan.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Eight months state penitentiary, one year probation
Restitution: $23,522.01
Costs: $152 court costs and attorney’s fees; $691.88 transportation cost
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $26,982.98
TSCRA Special Ranger: Joe Roberts
Other Investigators: Wade Turner, sheriff, Coleman County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department; Allen Moore, inspector, Kansas Animal Health Department; Lt. Mellickner, Dodge City, Kan., Police Department.

Defendant: Joe Wayne Cooper
Date of Birth: 11-11-1951
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 32 head of cattle purchased with hot check
Date of Offense: 10-20-2005
Victim's Name: Hamilton Sale Barn
Location of Offense: Hamilton County, Texas
Trial Date: 2-14-2006
Trial Court: 220th Judicial District Court of Hamilton County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years, probated
Restitution: $21,263.85
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $252
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $21,263.85
TSCRA Special Ranger: Eddie Foreman
Other Investigators: Ronny Ashmore, Hamilton County Sheriff’sInvestigator

Defendant: Grant Nicklaus Wilson
Date of Birth: 4-5-1982
Charge: Hindering a Secured Creditor
Property Involved: $16,539.57 owed on equipment loan
Date of Offense: 2-9-2005
Victim's Name: Kent County State Bank
Location of Offense: Kent County, Texas
Trial Date: 1-10-2006
Trial Court: 39th Judicial District Court of Kent County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 90 days supervision
Restitution: $14,000
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: $280
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $14,000
TSCRA Inspectors: Scott Williamson, Dean Bohannan

Defendant: Roxane Reynolds
Date of Birth: 2-12-1963
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: Seven black Brangus cows and one black Brangus bull
Date of Offense: 4-27-2004
Victim's Name: Alford McCarty, Hugo, Okla.
Location of Offense: Choctaw County, Okla.
Trial Date: 11-8-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Choctaw County, Okla.
Plea: No Contest/Guilty
Sentence: 5 years, deferred adjudication
Restitution: $6,600
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $6,600
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Lewis Collins, sheriff, Choctaw County, Okla.

Defendant: Timothy Mark Stuart
Date of Birth: 1-19-1970
Charge: Embezzlement
Property Involved: Money
Date of Offense: 4-25-2005
Victim's Name: OKC West Livestock Market Inc.
Location of Offense: Canadian County, Okla.
Trial Date: 8-22-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Canadian County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 68 days in county jail; Five years, deferred
Restitution: $4,200
Court Costs: $2,774.40
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $4,200
TSCRA Inspector: Joe Rector

Defendant: Billy Jay Burris
Date of Birth: 10-19-1954
Charge: Grand Larceny
Property Involved: D6 Caterpillar Bulldozer
Date of Offense: 5-25-2005
Victim's Name: Kelly Thomas,
Location of Offense: Choctaw County, Okla.
Trial Date: 7-26-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Choctaw County, Okla.
Plea: No Contest/Guilty
Sentence: Two years, deferred adjudication
Restitution: $1,390
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,390
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Terry Parks, under sheriff, and Bill Booker, deputy, Choctaw County, Okla., Sheriff's Office

Defendant: Samuel Dean Beets, Depew, Okla.
Date of Birth: 2-6-1956
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: 50 to 60 head of mixed breed cows, 500-1,100 pounds
Date of Offense: 3-21-2001 to 1-25-2002
Victim's Name: Shelby Oakley, Tulsa, Okla.
Location of Offense: Creek County, Okla.
Trial Date: 7-13-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Creek County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $5,000
Fine: $150
Court Costs: $218.95
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $5,000
TSCRA Inspector: Joe Rector

Defendant: James Carl Oliphant
Date of Birth: 7-28-1952
Charge: Embezzlement
Property Involved: Three 800-pound heifers
Date of Offense: 1-10-2004
Victim's Name: Bob Dearman
Location of Offense: Hughes County, Okla.
Trial Date: 6-29-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Hughes County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Three years, deferred adjudication
Restitution: $3,300
Court Costs: $178.40
Community Service: 40 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $3,300
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Houston Yeagar, sheriff, Hughes County, Okla.

Defendant: Jackie L. Traylor, Naples, Texas
Date of Birth: 9-3-1951
Charge: Theft of Livestock over 10 Head
Property Involved: 104 head of mixed bred cows
Date of Offense: 8-3-2005 through 12-15-2005
Victim: John Bryan
Location of Offense: Morris County, Texas
Trial Date: 5-9-2005
Trial Court: 76th Judicial District Court of Morris County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $60,000
Court Costs: $325
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $58,000
TSCRA Special Ranger: John P. Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Morris County Sheriff Jackie Martin

Suspects: James Mack Jr., 27; Johnny Lee Mack, 24; Latrice Ford, 24, all of Houston, Texas
Charge: Cattle theft
Status: James Mack and Latrice Ford arrested and charged, posted bond. Warrant issued for Johnny Lee Mack
Property Involved: 19 head of cattle, 22 head of cattle, two separate instances
Dates of Offenses: 5-11-05 and 5-18-05
Victim’s Name: Port City Stockyards
Location of Offense: Sealy, Texas
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $15,118
TSCRA Inspectors: Tommy Lee Johnson and Hal Dumas
Other Investigators: Austin County Sheriff DeWayne Burger and Investigator Charles Holmes

Defendant: Terry Gene Maddox, Waukomis, Okla.
Date of Birth: 9-2-1961
Charge: Bank Fraud - Sale of Mortgaged Property
Property Involved: 78 head of mortgaged cattle sold out of trust
Dates of Offense: May 2002-December 2003
Victim's Name: Gold Bank, Hennessey, Okla.
Location of Offense: Kingfisher, Canadian and Major counties, Okla.
Trial Dates: 3-30-2005 and 4-14-2005
Trial Courts: District Courts of Canadian and Major counties,Okla., respectively
Verdict: Guilty, both trials
Sentences: 3 years, deferred, and 5 years, deferred, respectively
Restitution: $4,525.15, and $1,500, respectively
Court Costs: $170.50 and $154 respectively
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $77,488.75
TSCRA Inspector: Joe Rector

Defendant: 2 Andrew Lee Deatherage, Arlington, Texas
Date of Birth: 4-4-1976
Charge: Criminal Mischief, $1,500-$20,000
Property Involved: Six head of cattle shot and killed
Date of Offense: 7-20-2003
Victim's Name: John Merrill Jr.
Location of Offense: Tarrant County, Texas
Trial Date: 4-8-2005
Trial Court: 372nd District Court of Tarrant County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $7,300 (split with cause against another defendant)
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $263
Community Service: 120 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $7,300
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Larry Gray, TSCRA director of law enforcement, and Steve Shaw, investigator, Johnson County Sheriff's Department

Defendant: Calvin Michael Rose, Willard, Mo.
Date of Birth: 8-21-1957
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: 215 head of cattle purchased with checks that were returned for insufficient funds
Date of Offense: 12-14-2001
Victim's Name: Erath County Dairy Sales
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: 4-4-2005
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court, Erath County, Texas
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years state penitentiary, 6 years probation
Restitution: $52,334.50
Fine: $1,000
Community Service: 300 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $52,334.50
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain

Defendant: 2 Brian Douglas Barnstein, Watauga, Texas
Date of Birth: 10-27-1970
Charge: Criminal Mischief, $1,500-$20,000
Property Involved: Six head of cattle shot and killed
Date of Offense: 7-20-2003
Victim's Name: John Merrill Jr.
Location of Offense: Tarrant County, Texas
Trial Date: 4-8-2005
Trial Court: 372nd District Court of Tarrant County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $7,300 (split with cause against another defendant)
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $263
Community Service: 120 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $7,300
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Larry Gray, TSCRA director of law enforcement, and Steve Shaw, investigator, Johnson County Sheriff's Department

Suspect: John Richard McKay, 20, Kingfisher, Okla.
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Status: Released on $10,000 bail
Property Involved: Five head of cattle
Date of Offense: 4-6-2005
Location of Offense: Mulhall, Okla.
TSCRA Inspector: Joe Rector

Defendant: Sam Watts, Rattan, Okla.
Date of Birth: 10-11-1961
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animal
Property Involved: One black white-faced cow
Date of Offense: 1-19-2005
Victim's Name: Rob Smith, Antlers, Okla.
Location of Offense: Pushmataha County, Okla.
Trial Date: 3-22-2005
Trial Court: District Court in Pushmataha County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty/no contest
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years, suspended
Court Costs: $395.90
Victim's Compensation Fee: $100
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $537
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Jim Duncan, sheriff, andRobert Curry, under sheriff, Pushmataha County, Okla.

Defendant: Ricky Timothy Murray, Soper, Okla.
Date of Birth: 6-15-1973
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: Three black heifers, 750 pounds each
Date of Offense: 10-8-2004
Victim's Name: Tim Edwards, Lubbock, Texas
Location of Offense: Soper, Okla.
Trial Date: 3-17-2005
Trial Court: District Court of Choctaw County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty/No Contest
Sentence: 3 years, deferred adjudication
Restitution: $1,962.75
Court Costs: $150
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,962.75
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Lewis Collins, sheriff, and Terry Parks, deputy sheriff, Choctaw County, Okla.

Defendant: Buford Dalton Curry III of Austin, Texas
Date of Birth: 9-9-74
Charge: Burglary of a building
Property Involved: Adult cutting saddle
Date of Offense: 10-6-03
Victim's Name: John Cleavinger
Location of Offense: Amarillo, Texas
Trial Date: 3-4-05
Trial Court: 222nd Judicial District Court, Deaf Smith County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: Six years, Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice Institutional Division
Restitution: $225
Court Costs: $223
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,150
TSCRA Inspector: Kenneth Chambers
Other Investigators: Randall County Deputy Sheriff B.J. Dempsey

Defendant: Randall Wayne Welch, Duke, Okla.
Date of Birth: 12-25-1967
Charge: Grand Larceny after two former felony convictions
Property Involved: Travalong stock trailer
Date of Offense: About 8-13-2003
Victim's Name: Rick Lewis, Altus, Okla.
Location of Offense: Harmon County, Okla.
Trial Date: 11-18-2004
Trial Court: District Court of Greer County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 21 years imprisonment; 15 years in custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, followed by 6 years of supervised probation
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $206.20
Crime Victim's Fee: $75
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: TSCRA Inspector Duane Cates; Kelly Rushing, chief deputy, Gray County, Texas; Joe Johnson, sheriff and Kirk Wade, under sheriff, Jackson County, Okla.

Defendant: Andrew Lee Deatherage, Arlington, Texas
Date of Birth: 4-4-1976
Charge: Criminal Mischief over $1,500
Property Involved: One registered Hereford bull
Date of Offense: 7-20-2003
Victim’s Name: Beth Joy, Cresson, Texas
Location of Offense: Hood County, Texas
Trial Date: 11-9-2004
Trial Court: 355th Judicial District Court of Hood County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Four years, deferred adjudication
Restitution: $1,500
Fine: $2,000
Court Costs: $353
Community Service: 300 hours
Crime Stoppers Fee: $50
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,000
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Larry Gray, TSCRA director of law enforcement, and Steve Shaw, investigator, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Brian Douglas Barnstein, Watauga, Texas
Date of Birth: 10-27-1970
Charge: Criminal Mischief over $1,500
Property Involved: One registered Hereford bull
Date of Offense: 7-20-2003
Victim's Name: Beth Joy, Cresson, Texas
Location of Offense: Hood County, Texas
Trial Date: 9-1-2004
Trial Court: 355th Judicial District Court of Hood County, Texas
Plea: Not Guilty
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: 180 days, State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Restitution: $1,500
Court Costs: $378
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,000
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Larry Gray, TSCRA director of law enforcement, and Steve Shaw, investigator, Johnson County Sheriff's Department

Defendant: Anthony Charles “Tony” McGough
Date of Birth: 04-11-1985
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 10 feeder pigs and 1 sow
Date of Offense: 02-20-2004
Victim’s Name: Dennis Watson
Location of Offense: Baylor County, Texas
Trial Date: 05-04-2004
Trial Court: 50th Judicial District Court, Baylor County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 2 years deferred adjudication
Court Costs: $365
Legal Fee: $250
Community Service: 200 hours
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Bob Elliott, sheriff, and Joe Lane, deputy, Baylor County Sheriff’s Department; Donnie Fitts, game warden, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Defendant: Donnie Paul McQueen, Mansfield, TX
Date of Birth: 10-12-1969
Charge: Theft of Livestock, two charges
Property Involved: One gray and white Paint filly, one Palomino gelding
Date of Offense: 10-29-2001 and 8-11-2002
Victim's Name: Sandra Grisham, Burleson, TX; Dana King, Zephyr, TX
Location of Offense: Tarrant County and Erath County
Trial Date: 5-3-2004
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court of Erath County, Stephenville, TX
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: Two 5-year probations, to run concurrently
Restitution: $8,068
Fine: $1,300
Court Costs: $223
Community Service: 300 hours
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain

Defendant: Paul Preciado, Tom Green County, Texas
Date of Birth: June 1, 1959
Charge: Misapplication of Fiduciary Property or Property of a Financial Institution
Property Involved: 300 head of cattle listed as security on a loan
Date of Offense: March 29, 1999
Victim’s Name: Stephenville Production Credit Association
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: 4-19-04
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court, Erath County, Texas
Plea: Not Guilty
Sentence: Five years in the Institution Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, suspended; 10 years probation
Restitution: $270,089.95
Court Costs: $243
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $270,089.95
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain

Defendant: Terry Glen McLaury
Date of Birth: 2-20-1968
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 11 cows and 11 calves
Date of Offense: 3-17-2004
Victim's Name: Larry Sanchez, Aspermont, TX
Location of Offense: Stonewall County, TX
Trial Date: 9-8-2004
Trial Court: 39th Judicial District Court of Stonewall County, Aspermont, TX
Plea: Guilty:
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $13,470.16 ($11,689.04 to Sanchez; balance to other victims attached to restitution order)
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: $223
Attorney Fees: $350
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $11,689.04
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Bill Mullins, sheriff, Stonewall County, TX

Defendant: Brandon Wayne “Buddy” Hilbers
Date of Birth: Jan. 25, 1987
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 10 feeder pigs and 1 sow
Date of Offense: Feb. 20, 2004
Victim’s Name: Dennis Watson
Location of Offense: Baylor County, Texas
Trial Date: May 4, 2004
Trial Court: 50th Judicial District Court, Baylor County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 2 years deferred adjudication
Court Costs: $365
Legal Fee: $200
Community Service: 200 hours
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Bob Elliott, sheriff, and Joe Lane, deputy, Baylor County Sheriff’s Department; Donnie Fitts, game warden,Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Defendant: Hugh Warren “Butch” Brady
Date of Birth: April 23, 1986
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 10 feeder pigs and 1 sow
Date of Offense: Feb. 20, 2004
Victim’s Name: Dennis Watson
Location of Offense: Baylor County, Texas
Trial Date: May 4, 2004
Trial Court: 50th Judicial District Court, Baylor County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 2 years deferred adjudication
Court Costs: $365
Legal Fee: $250
Community Service: 200 hours
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Bob Elliott, sheriff, and Joe Lane, deputy, Baylor County Sheriff’s Department; Donnie Fitts, game warden,Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Defendant: Otis Layne Babb, Eldorado, Texas
Date of Birth: May 2, 1983
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 23 head of cattle
Date of Offense: Sept. 3, 2003
Victim’s Name: Charles F. West
Location of Offense: Schleicher County, Texas
Trial Date: March 1, 2004
Trial Court: 51st Judicial District Court, Eldorado, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Four years confinement, Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Restitution: $12,114.49
Court Costs: $325
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $12,114.49
TSCRA Inspector: Jack Andrews
Other Investigators: George Arispe, chief deputy, Schleicher County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Timothy Shea Reed, Eldorado, Texas
Date of Birth: Dec. 19, 1971
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: Livestock Trailer
Date of Offense: Sept. 3, 2003
Victim’s Name: Charles F. West
Location of Offense: Schleicher County
Trial Date: March 1, 2004
Trial Court: 51st Judicial District Court, Eldorado, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 365 days confinement in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
TSCRA Inspector: Jack Andrews
Other Investigators: George Arispe, chief deputy, Schleicher County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Danny Bill Scott, Seymour, Texas
Date of Birth: 3-16-1977
Charge: Hindering secured creditors
Property Involved: 5 unpaid notes
Date of Offense: 2-11-2003
Victim's Name: Citizens Bank of Knox County
Location of Offense: Knox County, Texas
Trial Date: 2-11-2004
Trial Court: 50th Judicial District Court, Knox County, TX
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 3 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $4,700
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $500
Community Service: 200 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $4,700
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Chuck Morris, District Attorney Investigator, Seymour, TX

Defendant: Velma Jean Wright, Loco, OK
Date of Birth: 7-11-1935
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animal
Property Involved: Registered 15-year-old sorrel gelding Quarter Horse used in roping competitions
Date of Offense: 7-13-2003
Victim's Name: Jeff Trawick, Chipley, FL
Location of Offense: Guthrie, OK
Trial Date: 2-6-2004
Trial Court: District Court of Logan County, OK
Plea: Nolo contendre
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Court Costs: $189
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $25,000
TSCRA Inspectors: Joe Rector and Joe Ramer

Defendant: Daniel S. Wright, Loco, OK
Date of Birth: 1-30-1940
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animal
Property Involved: Registered 15-year-old sorrel gelding Quarter Horse used in roping competitions
Date of Offense: 7-13-2003
Victim's Name: Jeff Trawick, Chipley, FL
Location of Offense: Guthrie, OK
Trial Date: 2-6-2004
Trial Court: District Court of Logan County, OK
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $1,425
Fine: $2,500
Court Costs: $190.50
Community Service: 240 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $25,000
TSCRA Inspectors: Joe Rector and Joe Ramer

Defendant: Edward Shawn Cobb, Wellington, TX
Date of Birth: 11-5-1969
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: Calf
Date of Offense: 4-23-2002
Victim's Name: Tim Miller, Headrick, OK
Location of Offense: Jackson County, OK
Trial Date: 1-27-2004
Trial Court: District Court of Jackson County, OK
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years in Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Restitution: $600
Fine: $250
Court Costs and Fees: 223.38
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $600
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Jackson County Deputies Clifford Flynn, Joe Everheart and Marty Clinton

Defendant: Victoria Rose Burkhart, Henryetta, OK
Date of Birth: 11-11-1976
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: 18 head of mixed cows, 900 pounds each
Date of Offense: 4-3-2003
Victim's Name: Norma Gahm, Henryetta, OK
Location of Offense: Okmulgee County, OK
Trial Date: 12-18-2003
Trial Court: District Court of Okmulgee County, OK
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years in state penitentiary
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $9,000
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Lewis Collins, sheriff, Choctaw County, OK; R. L. Wilbourn, deputy sheriff, Okfuskee County, OK: Smokie Patchin, deputy sheriff, Okmulgee County, OK

Defendant: Tammie Thedford Hankins, Glen Rose, Texas
Date of Birth: June 19, 1963
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: One Palomino paint mare
Date of Offense: May 29, 2003
Victim’s Name: Debrah L. Cousins
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: Dec. 17. 2003
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court, Erath County, Texas
Sentence: Five years, deferred
Restitution: $1,000
Community Service: 300 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,000
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Steve Shaw, investigator, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Richard Lee Johnson, Cloudy, OK
Date of Birth: 11-15-1966
Charge: Grand Larceny
Property Involved: Portable Lincoln welder and 200 feet of leads
Date of Offense: 9-2-2003
Victim's Name: Kenneth Green, Rattan, OK
Location of Offense: Pushmataha County, OK
Trial Date: 12-03-2003
Trial Court: District Court in Pushmataha County, OK
Plea: No contest
Sentence: 3 years
Court Costs: $554
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $6,300
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Ronnie Steudeman, undersheriff, Pushmataha County, OK; Lewis Collins, sheriff, Choctaw County, OK

Defendant: Ricky Don Hankins, Glen Rose, TX
Date of Birth: 10-22-1964
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: One Palomino paint mare
Date of Offense: 5-29-2003
Victim's Name: Debra Cousins
Location of Offense: Erath County
Trial Date: 11-5-2003
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court of Erath County, Stephenville, TX
Verdict: Guilty
Sentence: Two years, state jail
Restitution: $1,000
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain

Defendant: Christopher Wesley Guynes
Date of Birth: 7-4-1975
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: 18 head of mixed cows, 900 pounds each
Date of Offense: 4-3-03
Victim's Name: Norma Gahm, Henryetta, OK
Location of Offense: Okmulgee County, OK
Trial Date: 10-21-2003
Trial Court: District Court of Okmulgee County, OK
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 30 years, state penitentiary (sentence enhanced due to two prior felony convictions)
Restitution: $5,400
Court Costs: $243
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $9,000
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Lewis Collins, sheriff, Choctaw County, OK; R. L. Wilbourn, deputy sheriff, Okfuskee County, OK; Smokie Patchin, deputy sheriff, Okmulgee County, OK

Defendant: Dale Hennessey Beaumont, Bristow, OK
Date of Birth: 3-16-1968
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animals
Property Involved: 18 head of mixed cows, 900 pounds each
Date of Offense: 4-3-03
Victim's Name: Norma Gahm, Henryetta, OK
Location of Offense: Okmulgee County, OK
Trial Date: 10-31-2003
Trial Court: District Court of Okmulgee County, OK
Plea: Nolo contendre
Sentence: 15 years in state penitentiary (sentence enhanced due to two prior felony convictions)
Fine: $3,000
Court Costs: $463
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $9,000
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Lewis Collins, sheriff, Choctaw County, OK; R. L. Wilbourn, deputy sheriff, Okfuskee County, OK: Smokie Patchin, deputy sheriff, Okmulgee County, OK

Defendant: Raymond Joseph Carbone
Date of Birth: Aug. 8, 1943
Charges: Theft of Cattle, Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity
Dates of Offenses: Dec. 27, 2002; Jan. 31, 2003; March 17, 2003; May 28, 2003
Victims’ Names: Don Anderson, Kenneth Cockrum, Frank Morris and Earnest Boulware
Locations of Offenses: Lamar, Hopkins and Red River Counties,
Texas
Trial Date: Oct. 14, 2003
Trial Court: 102nd Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Guilty to both charges
Sentence: 10 years probation; five years deferred adjudication; five years suspended
Restitution: $20,696.70
Fine: $5,000
Court Costs: $1,685
Crime Stoppers Fee: $50
Community Service: 200 hours
TSCRA Inspector: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Lamar County Sheriff’s Dept. Chief Deputy Scott Cass; Lamar County Investigators Chris Brooks, Haskell Maroney and Joel Chipman; Hopkins County Sheriff’s Dept. Investigator Jace Anglin

Defendant:Terry Shawn Linville
Date of Birth: July 1, 1959
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 18 head of cattle
Date of Offense: March 8, 2002
Victim’s Name: Dublin Livestock Auction
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: Oct. 8, 2003
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court, Erath County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 4 years probation
Court Costs: $223
Community Service: 300 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $7,435
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain

Defendant: Reginald Jermaine Young
Date of Birth: June 27, 1977
Charges: Theft of Livestock—15 Head
Dates of Offenses: March 12, 2003, and May 28, 2003
Victims’ Names: Frank Morris and Earnest Boulware
Location of Offenses: Hopkins and Red River Counties, Texas
Trial Dates: July 10, 2003, and July 21, 2003
Trial Court: 102nd Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Guilty to both charges
Sentence: 10 years probation, three years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $6,496.70
Fine: $3,000
Court Costs: $839
Community Service: 200 hours
TSCRA Inspector: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Lamar County Sheriff’s Dept. Chief Deputy Scott Cass; Lamar County Investigators Chris Brooks, Haskell Maroney and Joel Chipman; Hopkins County Sheriff’s Dept. Investigator Jace Anglin

Defendant: Roger Dawayne Johnson
Date of Birth: April 23, 1967
Charges: Theft of Cattle, Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity
Dates of Offenses: Jan. 31, 2003; March 12, 2003; May 28, 2003
Victims’ Names: Kenneth Cockrum, Frank Morris and Earnest Boulware
Location of Offenses: Hopkins and Red River Counties, Texas
Trial Dates: July 10, 2003, and July 21, 2003
Trial Court: 102nd Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Guilty to both charges
Sentence: 10 years probation, five years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $11,596.70
Fine: $2,000
Court Costs: $1,452
Community Service: 200 hours
Crime Stoppers Fee: $50
TSCRA Inspector: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Lamar County Sheriff’s Dept. Chief Deputy Scott Cass; Lamar County Investigators Chris Brooks, Haskell Maroney and Joel Chipman; Hopkins County Sheriff’s Dept. Investigator Jace Anglin

Defendant: Roger Lynn Bivins
Date of Birth: Aug. 2, 1972
Charge: Embezzlement by Bailee
Property Involved: Six Brangus cows, one Brangus calf
Date of Offense: Dec. 30, 2002
Victim’s Name: Linda Strawn
Location of Offense: Broken Bow, Okla.
Trial Date: July 9, 2003
Trial Court: District Court of McCurtain County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years, deferred
Restitution: $14,845
Fine: $40 per month of probation
Court Costs: $285.50
Victim’s Compensation: $200
Attorney’s Fees: $200
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $7,000
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade
Other Investigators: Sheriff Mike Willeby, McCurtain Co., Okla.; Deputy Sheriff Scott McLain; Deputy Brian Bowen

Defendant: Ryan Curtis Howard
Date of Birth: Jan. 10, 1983
Charge: Larceny of a Domestic Animal
Property Involved: Gray Brahman calf
Date of Offense: April 13, 2002
Victim’s Name: Walter Hutchinson
Location of Offense: Lincoln County, Okla.
Trial Date: April 16, 2003
Trial Court: 23rd District Court, Lincoln County, Okla.
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Three years, suspended
TSCRA Inspector: Joe Rector
Other Investigators: Special Agent Kevin Garrett, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; Deputies David Butler and Scott Donovan, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department

Defendant: Wilbur Eugene Jackson
Date of Birth: Jan. 14, 1976
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: One Black Brangus bull, three cows, two calves
Date of Offense: Dec. 16, 2002
Victim’s Name: Dave Dibbles
Location of Offense: Lee County, Texas
Trial Date: April 3, 2003
Trial Court: 21st Judicial District Court of Lee County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 2 years, state penitentiary
Attorney’s Fee: $400
Court Costs: $228
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $2,000
TSCRA Inspectors: Keith Korenek and Doyce Cook
Other Investigators: Austin County Sheriff DeWayne Burger, Chief Deputy Richard Holloman and Deputy Charles Holmes; Lee County Chief Deputy Rodney Meyer; Texas Ranger Brian Taylor

Defendants: Brian Jason Johnson and Michael Wayne Johnson
Date of Birth: Brian, Dec. 26, 1974; Michael, June 30, 1983
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: Eight calves
Date of Offense: Sept. 15 to Sept. 16, 2002
Victim’s Name: Aaron Perkins
Location of Offense: Red River County, Texas
Trial Date: March 10, 2003
Trial Court: Sixth Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Guilty, each
Sentence: Five years, probated, each
Restitution: $2,558.10, each
Fine: $500, each
Court Costs: $288, each
Community Service: Brian, 200 hours; Michael, 300 hours
TSCRA Inspector: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Jimmy Groves, investigator, Red River County Sheriff’s Dept.

Defendant: James Mack Peacock
Date of Birth: Nov. 24, 1944
Charge: Theft of Livestock, Forgery
Property Involved: 65 cows, 100 calves, 5 bulls
Date of Offense: May 9, 2002, with a continuing course of conduct
Victim’s Name: Pat Halverson
Location of Offense: Stonewall County, Texas
Trial Date: March 5, 2003
Trial Court: 39th Judicial District Court of Stonewall County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 7 years confinement, Texas Department of Criminal Justice for each of three causes; two years confinement in state jail for each of three causes
Restitution: $115,979.46
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Stonewall County Sheriff Bill Mullins; District Attorney Investigator Luke Griffin, Haskell, Texas

Defendant: Justin Mack Townes
Date of Birth: Dec. 24, 1977
Charge: Theft of Cattle
Property Involved: Seven crossbred cows
Date of Offense: Oct. 20, 2002
Victim’s Name: Ben Townes
Location of Offense: Red River County, Texas
Trial Date: Feb. 10, 2003
Trial Court: Sixth Judicial District Court of Red River County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Five years, probated
Restitution: $2,842.28
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $568
Community Service: 120 hours
Crime Stoppers Fee: $50
TSCRA Inspector: John Bradshaw
Other Investigators: Jimmy Groves, investigator, Red River County Sheriff’s Dept.

Defendant: Juan Guerra, Hawley, TX
Date of Birth: 8-16-1953
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: Four head of Longhorn calves
Date of Offense: 8-20-2002
Victim's Name: Charles White, Abilene, TX
Location of Offense: Jones County, TX
Trial Date: Jan. 14, 2003
Trial Court: 259th Judicial District Court, Jones County, TX
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years deferred adjudication
Restitution: $811.79
Fine: $500
Court Costs: $247.50
Community Service: 120 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $811.79
TSCRA Inspectors: Joe Roberts and Troy McKinney
Other Investigators: Alfonso Vargas, deputy, Jones County Sheriff's Department

Defendant: Roger Carl Overton, Stamford, Texas
Date of Birth: Sept. 22, 1962
Charge: Theft (over 10 head of cattle)
Date of Offense: May 9, 2002, with a continuing course of conduct
Victim’s Name: Pat Halverson, Seminole, Texas
Location of Offense: Stonewall County, Texas
Trial Date: Nov. 13, 2002
Trial Court: 39th District Court, Stonewall County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Three years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Court Costs: $598
TSCRA Inspector: Scott Williamson
Other Investigators: Bill Mullins, Stonewall County Sheriff, and Luke Griffin, District Attorney Investigator, Haskell, Texas

Defendant: Mauricio Anguiano
Date of Birth: April 15, 1967
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: Switching back tags from defendant’s calves to bigger calves
Date of Offense: Sept. 7, 2001
Victim’s Name: Erath County Dairy Sales
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: Oct. 15, 2002
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 5 years, deferred
Restitution: $1,238.38
Community Service: 300 hours
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $1,650.88
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain
Other Investigators: Trooper Rosa Lopez, Texas Highway Patrol

Defendant: Cliserio Medina Jr., Sheffield, Texas
Date of Birth: Sept. 15, 1982
Charge: Theft of livestock, 10 counts
Property Involved: 213 head of sheep and goats
Date of Offense: Multiple dates over 10 months prior to June 26, 2001
Victim’s Name: H.C. Noelke III
Location of Offense: Crockett County, Texas
Trial Date: Sept. 23, 2002
Trial Court: 112th Judicial District Court
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Five years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, suspended for seven years on community supervision
Restitution: $12,028
Court Costs: $305.25
Community Service: 180 hours
TSCRA Inspector: Alan Thompson
Other Investigators: Pecos County Deputy Lynn Holland and Texas Ranger Brooks Long

Defendant: Jessie Lee Green, Midland, Texas
Date of Birth: Aug. 20, 1974
Charges:Theft of Livestock (5 counts),Theft over $1,500 (3 counts), Criminal Mischief, Burglary of a Building, Failure to Appear
Property Involved: Five horses, three trailers, 300 bales of alfalfa, one saddle and tack
Dates of Offense: Multiple, from 1998 to Dec. 14, 2001
Victims’ Names: Alvin Curtis, Midland, Texas; Justin Dockery, Midland; Charles Gilbert, Stanton, Texas; Shay Good, Midland; Walt Greeman, Tishomingo, Okla.; Galen Hoelscher, Talpa,Texas; Jessie Montoya, Andrews, Texas; Curtis Palmer, Garden City, Texas; Stacy Powell, Miles, Texas; Joseph Schumann, Midland; Donald Mac Sellers, Midland; Stan Townsend, Midland; Ralph White, Midland
Location of Offense: Midland and Martin Counties, Texas
Trial Date: Aug. 8, 2002
Trial Court: 385th Judicial District Court, Midland County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Eight years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $30,500
TSCRA Inspector: Alan Thompson
Other Investigators: Lt. Rory McKinney, Sgt. Reba Beam and Sgt. Joe Watters, all with the Midland County Sheriff’s Office

Defendant: Johnny Lynn Hair
Date of Birth: Feb. 4, 1952
Charge: Theft
Property Involved: 16 crossbred cows and one crossbred calf
Date of Offense: June 12, 2001
Victim’s Name: Bobby Brotherton
Location of Offense: Garza County, Texas
Trial Date: July 2, 2002
Trial Court: 106th Judicial District Court of Garza County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Seven years probation
Restitution: $11,050
Fine: $1,000
Court Costs: $223
Community Service: 300 hours
TSCRA Inspector: Dean Bohannon

Defendant: John Douglas Simmons
Date of Birth: Aug. 22, 1968
Charge: Theft of Livestock
Property Involved: 21 head of cattle
Date of Offense: Feb. 25, 2000 and March 3, 2000
Victim’s Name: Dublin Livestock Auction
Location of Offense: Erath County, Texas
Trial Date: June 10, 2002
Trial Court: 266th Judicial District Court
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: 10 years probation, 5 years deferred
Restitution: $10,359.79
Fine: $1,000
Community Service: 300 hours
TSCRA Inspectors: H.D. Brittain, Alan Thompson and Scott Williamson

Defendant: Onesimo Flores Garza Jr., McAllen, Texas
Date of Birth: Sept. 1, 1960
Charge: Obtaining property under false pretenses—bogus check
Property Involved: Eight horses
Date of Offense: Sept. 22, 2001
Victim’s Name: Heritage Place, Inc.
Location of Offense: Oklahoma City, Okla.
Trial Date: May 14, 2002
Trial Court: Oklahoma County District Court
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: One year, suspended
Restitution: $43,900
Fine: $74.50
Court Costs: $95
TSCRA Inspectors: Joe Rector and Chick Saenz

Defendant: Jeff Boyd
Date of Birth: Feb. 8, 1970
Charge: Larceny of Domestic Animal
Property Involved: Five cows and four calves
Date of Offense: May 11, 2001
Victim’s Name: Dewitt Cox
Location of Offense: McIntosh County, Okla.
Trial Date: March 14, 2002
Trial Court: District Court, McIntosh County, Okla.
Plea: Nolo contendre
Sentence: 30 days in county jail and seven years probation
Restitution: $4,139.99
Court Costs: $1,094.08
TSCRA Inspector: Paul Wade

Defendant: Alvis Olin Thomason
Date of Birth: April 8, 1948
Charge: Theft of livestock
Date of Offense: Aug. 21, 1997
Victim’s Name: David McDavid
Location of Offense: Parker County, Texas
Trial Date: March 5, 2002
Trial Court: 43rd Judicial Court of Parker County, Texas
Plea: Guilty
Sentence: Five years, suspended
Restitution: $16,871.70
Fine: $500, plus $25 to Crime Victims Compensation Fund
Crime Stoppers Fee: $25
Court Costs: $166.50
Value of Property Recovered or Accounted For: $17,588.20
TSCRA Inspector: H.D. Brittain