Published: October 23, 2009 11:04 am      

Dead cattle clues could fetch reward

Officials at an Elmore City area ranch are fed up with their cows being shot and killed and are offering a reward to find out more about who killed their livestock.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the conviction of anyone who fired a single bullet that killed a cow a few miles south of Elmore City.

Garvin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Poteet said the county sheriff’s office was contacted about the incident on Oct. 15.

“A worker at the ranch told me he had a cow that had been shot,” Poteet said. “The owner of the ranch has had cows shot in the past. So now he’s offering up to $5,000 in a reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved.”

According to the deputy, a 600- to 800-pound yearling was shot and killed. In late October 2008, four cows on the same Elmore City ranch were shot and killed.

Poteet believes the a rifle was used in last week’s shooting. He also believes it was intentional.

“We’re thinking it might be some kind of .22-caliber rifle,” he said.

“People need to understand that shooting an animal is a felony. Even if it’s an accident it’s still a felony, but this was no accident,” Poteet said.

The shooting is strangely similar to another one earlier this month farther south of Elmore City. In that case a horse was shot and killed. Deputies said this means a handful of horses have been shot and killed in that same area in the past few years.

Anyone with information related to any of the animal shootings is urged to contact the Garvin County Sheriff’s Department.