TSCRA: Reklaw Man Arrested For Cattle Rustling
10/27/2009 07:29AM
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A Reklaw man was arrested by the Rusk Police Department on Friday for stealing five head of cattle from a rancher in Cherokee County and selling them at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction.
Henry Dwight Hogg, 32, was charged with third degree felony theft after reports confirmed some of the brands and descriptions of the victim's cattle matched some of the brands and descriptions of the cattle sold at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Auction. The brands were confirmed by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers Jimmy Dickson, Jim Vanover and John Bradshaw along with TSCRA Market Inspector John Comer.
"These arrests were made because of a big team effort between the TSCRA Special Rangers, TSCRA Market Inspector John Comer, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Rusk Police Department," Dickson said. "Because these stolen cattle were branded, we were able to quickly track down the thieves and the livestock. One of the best ways to protect your cattle from thieves is to brand them and to register that brand with TSCRA."
If convicted, Hogg could face up to 10 years in prison and/or up to a $10,000 fine. A second suspect has also been identified but not yet arrested.
TSCRA has 29 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The law enforcement officers are aided by 70 TSCRA market inspectors who identify 5 million to 6 million cattle each year at more than 115 Texas livestock markets. They report their findings to TSCRA's Fort Worth headquarters, where the information is entered into the largest centralized and computerized brand recording and retrieval system in the nation. Headquarters support staff distribute information on missing/stolen livestock to more than 700 law enforcement agencies nationwide.
The inspection program was authorized through the U.S. Department of Agriculture by an act of Congress in 1942. All costs for the program are paid by TSCRA.
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 132-year-old trade organization and is the largest livestock association in Texas. TSCRA has more than 15,000 members who manage approximately 4 million head of cattle on 51.5 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma. TSCRA provides law enforcement services, livestock inspection, legislative and regulatory advocacy and educational opportunities for its members and the industry.