Guymon Man Caught In Act Of Stealing Cattle In Texas, TSCRA Says

A Guymon man was arrested last week after special rangers caught him in the act of stealing cattle, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association says.

Dannie Talcott, 63, was arrested on Friday as he loaded cattle outside a sale barn in Dalhart, Texas.

TSCRA says it first was contacted by the market inspector about suspected theft from the Cattlemen’s Livestock Commission in Dalhart after the owner came up short on head counts.

According to special agents, an investigation found Talcott had been purchasing cattle on the Internet from Catttlemen’s, then he would send them to 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,” TSCRA said.

Agents set up surveillance about 11 p.m. on March 3 in hopes they would catch Talcott stealing cattle at the sale barn. Around 5 a.m. on March 4, they said they watched him load the cattle he bought, “plus a couple of extra cattle he didn’t pay for.”

Talcott was arrested and taken to the Dallam-Hartley County Jail, where he reportedly admitted to the theft and others.

He officially was charged with theft of livestock and four other related cases have been presented to prosecutors to weigh additional charges against him.

TSCRA agents are stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma and are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.