Cattle rustling has been on the rise in western states, but agricultural experts have yet to note an increase in Arkansas.
Travis Justice, chief economist for the Arkansas Farm Bureau and executive director of the Arkansas Beef Council, said the conditions are ripe for theft because prices for beef have skyrocketed since the drought in 2011.
"I don't know what motivates the thieves, but certainly the potential there is greater because you have a higher value animal," he said. "There's potential, but I don't know that we've seen an increasing number."
Because cases are handled and reported locally, it's hard to say how widespread the problem is.
Brad Cazort, repository administrator for the Arkansas Crime Information Center and a Little Rock city director, said because cattle rustling is classified under theft and not under a specific law, statewide statistics about the crime don't exist.
Still, Justice does hear about isolated incidents involving Arkansas ranchers.
In the last two weeks, two Arkansas men have been arrested in connection with about 70 stolen cattle from Texas and Arkansas.
On Dec. 9, Bradley Wayne Guthrey, 25, of North Little Rock was arrested in Carthage, Texas, according to the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
Special ranger Larry Hand of the association received a call from employees at the Panola Livestock Auction when Guthrey brought in eight head of unbranded cattle. Hand discovered the license plate didn't match the trailer and the vehicle identification number had been removed.
Guthrey ran, but was arrested after a seven-hour manhunt that involved local and state law enforcement officers, a K-9 unit, and a helicopter, the association said.
"The suspect in this case identified unbranded cattle off rural roads roaming in pastures with no nearby homes and he targeted them," Hand said in a press release.
On Thursday, Levi Boyd, 37, of Camden was arrested in connection with Guthrey in Ouachita County, according to the association.
Justice said ranchers can protect themselves by marking their animals and taking inventories. Livestock auctions also are on guard for suspicious behavior, he said.
"The industry tries to police itself," he said. "They're not all caught, but more often or not, they slip up somewhere."
Preston Scroggin, executive director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, also said he didn't have any indication that cattle rustling had intensified in Arkansas, though high beef prices had made the crime more tempting.
"We've not had any increase reported to our office," he said. "But it's really been running rampant in the western states."
Blayne Arthur, deputy commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, said cattle rustling had "most definitely" increased in her state.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has an internal investigations unit, which employs 10 agents. This year, the unit has recovered about 1,200 stolen cattle.
Arthur said the majority of the thefts were by individuals with substance abuse issues who quickly unloaded the animals for cash.
"Starting with the drought in 2011, the cattle herd has gotten smaller," she said. "Right now, cattle are worth more than they have ever been, and they're easily accessible."
Business on 12/20/2014