Vermilion Parish teen arrested in cattle theft

A Vermilion Parish juvenile is charged with theft of livestock in connection with allegedly stealing 24 cattle from a Vermilion Parish cattleman.

Authorities say the 16-year-old suspect was found at a stockyard attempting to load seven stolen heifer calves and hide them elsewhere. Those calves were released back to the owner.

Meanwhile, at the same stockyard, the manager also found 17 cows in a back pen and reportedly had no knowledge of how they got there. The manager contacted a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry brand inspector and it was determined that those cows were stolen from the same Vermilion cattleman.

“Fortunately, these cattle were properly branded and that helped the brand inspector and the cattleman identify the stolen property easily,” said Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M.

Authorities say the juvenile was brought to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office where he confessed to stealing the cattle. He was released from the juvenile detention center on $2,500 bond.

According to the owner, the estimated value of his stolen cattle is $26,400.