By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Ranchers in the area are finding they face the wild
west in the form of cattle rustling.
In fact, cattle rustling is a not just a problem in
Juab County but in other rural areas of the state.
Recently, rustlers hit the herd of Reid Jarrett, a
rancher based in Nephi.
While his story started off as alarming, it did have a
happy ending, unlike many such cases, where the cattle are
never seen by their owners again.
In Jarrett's case, rustlers stole seven pair of
branded cattle consisting of 14 cows and calves.
To Jarrett that represented $15,000 worth of his
annual income.
"It's a crime that shouldn't happen. Law enforcement
and the department of agriculture are going to work hard to
put a stop to this," said Juab County Sheriff Alden
Orme.
He said there would be zero tolerance for cattle
rustling in the county.
The crime on Jarrett's land took place, as has cattle
rustling for ages, at night.
The thieves drove onto Jarrett's property under cover
of the evening with a truck and trailer.
Orme said that, because Jarrett's animals go to the
corral to get water, it was probably quite easy for thieves
to gather the cattle up inside the fenced area.
"It's a lot of revenue. It's hard to bounce back from,
something like that. That's a herd of cattle," said
Jarrett.
"You know, the average cattle thief gets more money
than a bank robber," said John Kimball, Livestock Theft
Investigator.
Ten months ago the state allocated funds to create the
livestock theft investigating position Kimball heads up. A
retired peace officer, Kimball said thieves are picking off
small unbranded calves that can fit in the back of a car.
And in many cases, such as at the Jarrett ranch,
thieves are bolder and go for the big cows, loading them in
large stock trailers.
John Kimball has helped sheriffs throughout the state
investigate more than 30 cases, worth more than a quarter of
a million dollars.
Luckily, because of the investigation and the word
that Orme and Kimball were working to bring justice to
cattle thieves, the rustlers returned the cattle, again at
night, just a few days later.
"I think we made them (the rustlers) real nervous to
bring them back this quick," said Jarrett.
The theft is still under investigation, said Orme.
"We will continue to work on the case until we know
who the rustlers are," he said. "It impacts us all through
the prices you pay for your meat at the store. If they're
making losses in their industry, they've got to recoup the
losses somewhere. So the price goes up that you pay in the
grocery store."
Cattle rustling in the west is tied to another trend,
rising methamphetamine use. Cattle theft is just another in
a long and growing list of property crimes committed to
support a meth habit.
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