AND LAW ARRESTS
THEFT Fourth Suspect Arrested in Harrison
County Cattle Theft Case A fourth suspect was arrested on May 3 and charged with third degree felony
theft of livestock after helping 3 other suspects steal 12 head of penned yearling cattle from a Harrison County ranch on Sept. 30, 2014. All 4 suspects are now under indictment as of April 30, after being arrested on various dates. This joint investigation was conducted by TSCRA Special Ranger Larry Hand
Larry Hand TSCRA Special Ranger
and Harrison County Sheriff’s Investigator B.J. Fletcher. Hand and many local authorities have been working on this investigation since
Sept. 30, 2014, and evidentiary leads spanned 4 counties. The arrest of the fourth suspect, Alex Christopher Hinton, 34, of Carthage, occurred after Hinton’s em- ployer and the alleged suspect’s truck were located in March 2015. Witnesses had described a fl atbed truck to Hand in October and he was able to locate the suspect’s truck in March with help from DPS Intelligence. Panola Deputies arrested Hinton after indictment. On Sept. 30, 2014, Stacie Laine Soape, 43; Hinton; Michael Duane Nettles, 31;
and Elizabeth Ann Newton, all from Carthage, stole 12 penned yearlings around midnight from a Harrison County ranch. Soape, Nettles and Newton then returned to the ranch later that night and stole saddles and tools. Seven of the 12 cattle have been retrieved; Hinton allegedly took his share of 5
yearlings from a hidden location in Panola County on the night of the theft. Three saddles, assorted tack and numerous power tools and equipment were recovered on Oct. 2, 2014. “Ear notches were important in locating and identifying the stolen cattle we
have recovered.” said Hand, “However, branding provides a much more effective way for authorities to retrieve stolen livestock, especially if they have been taken to an auction or feedlot.” TSCRA would like to thank the following for their roles in this lengthy investiga-
tion and indictment: Harrison County Sheriff’s Offi ce Detective BJ Fletcher; Panola County Sheriff Kevin Lake and his Investigators and Patrol Deputies; Panola County Constables Mitch Norton and Bryan Murff; Texas DPS Intelligence and Counterter- rorism Division; Louisiana Brand Investigator Carnie Burcham; Harrison County District Attorney Coke Solomon and his staff; and TSCRA Market Inspector Pat McGuigan. Anyone with information regarding the 5 stolen cattle still unaccounted for
should contact TSCRA’s Operation Cow Thief hotline at 888-830-2333 or call Hand at 903-592-5252. A cash reward may be paid to individuals who can provide useful information leading to the arrest and indictment of suspect(s). Individuals report- ing information may choose to remain anonymous.
34 The Cattleman July 2015
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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