Hopkins County man arrested for theft of livestock

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

August 18, 2005 - A Hopkins County man, who had previously been incarcerated for cattle theft, has allegedly rustled his way into some new trouble with the law.

Anthony Wilkins of Como was arrested by Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger John Bradshaw and Hopkins County Investigator Lewis Tatum on July 11 after three Holstein calves were recovered at the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission Company.

The calves were stolen from the Hopkins County area but sold at a Paris livestock auction. The buyer then took the calves to the Sulphur Springs livestock auction to sell, according to Bradshaw. It was there that James Comer, marketing inspector for TSCRA, noticed fresh ear marks on the young cattle. Bradshaw commented the fresh ear notches was apparently Wilkins’ attempt to disguise the calves.

Comer notified Bradshaw who contacted the original owner of the calves. The owner made a positive identification of the calves and retained ownership. The person who sold the cattle, more than likely, filed on the sales barn’s insurance to recoup his losses, according to Larry Gray, director of law enforcement with TSCRA.

Following investigation of the stolen calves, Wilkins was arrested by Bradshaw and Tatum for theft of livestock.

When arrested, the state evoked Wilkins’ parole and issued a blue warrant (which holds him in the county jail until a space in available in a state’s correctional facility). Wilkins remains in the Hopkins County jail with a $20,000 bond. In addition to the theft charges, he will also be charged with violation of parole. At press time, a trial date had not been set.

Bradshaw recanted that during the investigation, the suspect’s wife gave written consent to him and Tatum stating they could look at other cattle at the suspect’s house.

According to Bradshaw, at the Wilkins’ place, they discovered two cows and one bull. The bull met the description of a 2-year-old bull that had been stolen, along with 12 other cattle, from a pasture in the Mount Vernon area (Franklin County) two weeks prior. The 12 cattle were not at the Wilkins’ place.

“I contacted the owner of the bull and asked him if he had ear tagged the cattle. He said ‘yes, in the left ear.’ The bull had a hole in the left ear. I asked him to come down and identify the bull, which he did,” Bradshaw stated.

While the owner was in route, Bradshaw noticed a trailer on the property had its vehicle identification number stripped. Jeremy Massey with the Northeast Texas Auto Theft task force was contacted about the trailer and Massey called Rex Wileman with the Department of Public Safety Auto Theft. Both Massey and Wileman came to the scene to investigate the trailer.

Meanwhile, Bradshaw and Tatum went back to talk to Wilkins at the county jail about the bull and other evidence found at the scene. He admitted to stealing all 13 head, according to Bradshaw. Wilkins stated he dropped the bull off at his house and then carried the other 12 head to a sale in Durant, Okla. The 12 head, which were not branded, were purchased for a total of $9,630 by several feedlots.

Because the cattle were not branded, Bradshaw said, “All 12 wound up in several feedlots which made in virtuously impossible to recover.” 

Additional charges of the 13 head was added to the original charge (theft of calves) against Wilkins.

Later, Bradshaw said they learned the trailer on Wilkins’ property was stolen from Miller County, Arkansas, in December 2001.

The investigators were told that during the time the trailer was stolen, so was another trailer and 14 head of cattle in the same area. Miller County Sheriff’s Office reported the apparent reason for the case involving two trailers is that one trailer, while loaded with cattle, had two flats, so another trailer was stolen to make the haul.

“The suspect stole the second trailer to take the cattle,” Bradshaw reported.

Because of the prior conviction, Wilkins charged with a third-degree felony in Hopkins County, which carries a 2- to 10- year sentence if convicted, and a second-degree felony in Franklin County, which carries 2- to 20- year sentence.

Clay Hardin with the Miller County Arkansas Sheriff’s office said charges against Wilkins, regarding the trailer and other cattle, are pending and will be forthcoming once his sentences are served in Texas.