The investigation revealed suspect Dannie Talcott, 63, had been purchasing cattle over the internet from Cattlemen’s Livestock Commission and shipping them to Preferred Beef, a packing plant in Booker, Texas. When Talcott would go pick up the cattle he bought from the Dalhart-based livestock auction, he would load more cattle than he paid for.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Rangers Harold Dempsey and Dean Bohannon arrested the Guymon, Okla. man March 4 after catching him in the act of stealing the cattle. Dempsey led the investigation and Bohannon assisted.

Dannie Talcott

Dempsey said he was contacted by TSCRA Market Inspector Anita Prizilas concerning the suspected theft of two head of cattle from the Cattlemen’s Livestock Commission in Dalhart, Texas. Prizilas told Dempsey the owner of the sale barn had been coming up short on head counts.

Dempsey and Bohannon caught the suspect stealing the cattle by setting up surveillance on March 3 around 11:00 p.m. at the sale barn. Around 5:00 a.m. the following morning, the special rangers watched Talcott load the cattle he bought, plus a couple of extra cattle he didn’t pay for. Dempsey and Bohannon stopped Talcott and arrested him.

Talcott was transported to the Dallam-Hartley County Jail where he admitted to stealing the cattle. He also confessed to committing the same crime on four different occasions. Talcott was charged with theft of livestock and the other four cases will be presented to the Dallam-Hartley County District Attorney.

“Through the teamwork of the sale barn owners, local law enforcement officials, TSCRA market inspectors and special rangers, we were able to catch this suspect in the act of stealing cattle,” said Dempsey. “I encourage anyone with cattle to keep a close watch over their herds and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement as soon as possible.”