Mason County Man Arrested for Theft of Livestock

MASON, Texas — A Mason County man was arrested for theft yesterday as a result of an investigation by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Rangers.
TSCRA Special Ranger Marvin C. Wills conducted the investigation.
In October 2015, the suspect, Jim H. Schmidt, 44, of Mason, Texas, purchased sheep and goats from a Hamilton, Texas, sale barn. The livestock were paid for with a bad check that totaled more than $46,000. A warrant for Schmidt’s arrest was issued as a result of the theft and subsequent investigation. Special Ranger Wills caught up to Schmidt in Goldthwaite, Texas this Thursday and took him into custody. He was booked into the Mills County Jail and later released on a $50,000 bond.
Schmidt is facing a third degree felony, punishable by two to 10 years in state prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
“This arrest has been several years in the making, and just goes to show our relentless pursuit of livestock thieves here in Texas,” said Wills.
###
TSCRA has 30 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
TSCRA is a 140-year-old trade association and is the largest and oldest livestock organization based in Texas. TSCRA has more than 17,500 beef cattle operations, ranching families and businesses as members. These members represent approximately 55,000 individuals directly involved in ranching and beef production who manage 4 million head of cattle on 76 million acres of range and pasture land primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, but throughout the Southwest.
For more TSCRA news releases, visit tscra.org.