Sheriffs' deputies in central Texas have arrested five men in connection with an organized livestock theft from a ranch that allegedly caused the deaths of 70 animals.
The crime was reportedly linked to a pair of small cities — Florence and Schwertner — north of Austin.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said that a months-long investigation involving multiple agencies resulted in the arrests of five suspected cattle thieves, according to MySanAntonio.
All five of the men have been charged with the theft of livestock between $30,000 and $150,00, which is a third-degree felony under Texas law.
The men have been identified as Ramon Martinez Miranda, 50; Miguel Martinez Mons, 58; Orleydis Martin Reyes, 42; Yasmani Galis-Hernandez, 34; and Reidel Martinez, 41.
As of last week, all of the men were being held in the Williamson County Jail.
“This case highlights the dedication of our investigators and the strong collaboration between agencies to combat organized agricultural crime," Williamson County Sheriff Matt Lindemann said in a statement.
He continued, saying that "livestock theft has a significant financial impact on our agricultural community, and we remain committed to holding offenders accountable."
Law enforcement reportedly became suspicious that cattle theft was occurring three months ago when a Florence Police Department officer stopped a pickup truck towing a livestock trailer.
Officers reportedly found three dead cattle inside the trailer, as well as evidence that the animals had been recently killed. Reidel Martinez, who was driving the truck, allegedly told police that he had purchased the cattle in Temple, Texas, for $800 each.
The WCSO investigated the dead cattle and found that they'd allegedly been stolen from Capitol Land & Livestock, located in Schwertner.
The sheriff's office said in a statement that it had collected "physical evidence, witness statements, digital forensic analysis, and cell phone location data indicating the suspects were involved in an organized scheme."
Investigators determined the five men had allegedly stolen and slaughtered approximately 70 head of cattle over the course of several months.
Jim Schwertner, who owned the stolen cattle, told the High Plains Journal that he became suspicious that something nefarious was going on when he noticed his cattle counts were off.
“Yeah, it was a freak deal. We knew we were missing some cattle, but we couldn’t figure out why,” Schwertner told the outlet.
He said the cattle he lost were worth approximately $2,000 per head. He said that cattle theft is a serious problem for ranchers, but praised the WCSO for taking the problem seriously.
“It’s a big deal,” he said. “Williamson County has always been diligent about cattle rustling. They’ve got a history, and they are really tough on it.”
During the investigation, investigators found multiple places where pasture fencing had been cut in a way that suggested livestock had been illegally removed from the property. They also found ammunition, animal processing tools, and photos of stolen and slaughtered animals on one of the cellphones of one of the suspects.
The sheriff's office determined that the five men were allegedly working together on the cattle theft scheme, though it did not reveal a motive for the crime.
