Frankie Lane Hunt, 20, of Depew, Okla., surrendered to authorities on Wednesday and was booked into the Creek County Jail in Sapulpa, Okla., after he was accused of stealing 24 head of cattle from three different Oklahoma ranches. A second suspect, Charles Edward Roby III, 20, Bristow, Okla., has a warrant out for his arrest but has not been apprehended. Both suspects have been charged with four counts of larceny of domestic animals in the Creek County District Court.
TSCRA Special Rangers Bart Perrier and Brett Wellden are conducting the investigation.
According to Perrier, during the fall of 2015, 24 cattle were stolen from three victims near the Depew-Milfay area of Creek County, Okla., and sold at livestock markets located in Bristow, Okmulgee and Oklahoma City. One of those victims had cattle stolen for a second time, which were transported to the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City and sold.
Hunt has been released on a $100,000 bond and his arraignment on the charges has been set for July 29. An arrest warrant for Roby from Creek County is outstanding. The bond on his warrant has been set at $100,000. His arrest is pending.
“The cattle stolen in the second theft from the same victim had recently been branded, which aided in the quick identification of these stolen cattle,” Perrier stated. “This highlights the value and importance of branding cattle and how it can aid law enforcement in the quick identification of stolen cattle in these cases.”