A Woods County man was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of knowingly concealing stolen property from two victims from Pottawatomie County.
TSCRA Special Ranger Brett Wellden, District 3 in Central Oklahoma, conducted the investigation.
During the late summer of 2015, Wellden received information about several cattle thefts in the Woods County area. Investigations were opened into each of the thefts, but there were no viable leads at the time. In October 2016, Wellden received new information about the thefts, which led him and deputies from the Woods County Sheriff’s Office to a residence outside of Carmen, Okla.
Wellden and Woods County Undersheriff Keith Dale spoke with the resident, Todd James Cunningham, 40, of Carmen, Okla., who was identified as a suspect in the cattle thefts. Cunningham gave Wellden and Dale consent to inspect several vehicles on the property, including a 2014 Ford F350 pick-up truck with a Hydra Bed® and 2010 Cub Cadet mower, which were identified to have been stolen in Pottawatomie County. Cunningham was taken into custody and the stolen property was seized.
Cunningham was arrested Monday and transported to the Woods County jail, where he was booked and held in lieu of bond. Charges were presented to the Woods County district attorney’s office.
Wellden would like to thank the Woods County Sheriff’s office, specifically Undersheriff Keith Dale and Deputy Chase Bouziden, for their assistance in this case.
The cattle theft investigation continues and more charges and arrests are anticipated.
“Through the teamwork with local law enforcement, we were able to arrest another thief,” said Wellden. “I look forward to continuing to work with officials in the area to finalize this investigation and make sure justice prevails.”