For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2021

Contact: Jeremy Fuchs
(512) 469-0171

Bixby, Okla. — Bobby Leonard Ryan III, 29, of Bixby was arrested May 26, 2021, on four felony counts of obtaining cash or merchandise by bogus check or false pretenses.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Bart Perrier, who also led the investigation, arrested Ryan Wednesday on the felony warrant issued by the District Court of Osage County, Pawhuska, Okla. Ryan allegedly took thousands of dollars from victims across several states to build custom ranch-style livestock trailers that he never produced.

Perrier initiated the investigation in the Fall of 2019 after receiving numerous complaints. The victims all separately claimed that they paid Ryan a deposit, or the full amount, for custom-made livestock trailers that were never built or delivered. The victims were also unable to obtain repayment.

As the investigation began and for some time after, Ryan continued doing business as 5R Ranch Trailers and taking orders for new trailers. Later in the investigation, he closed the business and left the Osage County area without delivering the trailers or repaying the victims. In October of 2020, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office received an additional complaint from another victim reporting similar financial losses. A felony warrant was then issued for Ryan’s arrest.

Following his arrest, Ryan was booked into the Osage County Jail and scheduled for arraignment the following day. He was subsequently released on a $20,000 bond pending trial.

Perrier and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association would like to thank Osage County Sheriff’s Office investigator Clay Testerman and Special Ranger John Cummings for their assistance on the case.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they may have been victims of the suspected trailer scam should contact Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Bart Perrier at (918) 440-8360.

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TSCRA’s Special Rangers are an elite group of law enforcement officers who have extensive knowledge of the cattle industry and primarily investigate cattle theft and other agricultural crimes, though they are well-trained in all facets of law enforcement. In all, TSCRA has 30 Special Rangers stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma who are commissioned through the Texas Department of Public Safety or Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

The Special Rangers also oversee more than 80 TSCRA market inspectors who collect data, such as brands and other identifying marks on 4 to 5 million cattle sold at 100 Texas livestock markets each year. That information is entered into the TSCRA’s recording and retrieval system, which is a vital tool for law enforcement when investigating theft cases.