Arkansas Man Arrested for Livestock Theft

A man from North Little Rock, Arkansas, has been arrested in Carthage, Texas, after being linked to the theft of about 70 head of cattle across Texas and Arkansas.

Authorities say 25-year-old Bradley Wayne Guthrey was also wanted on outstanding warrants out of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Larry Hand got a call from employees at the Panola Livestock Auction after a suspicious man from North Little Rock, later identified as Guthrey, brought eight head of unbranded cattle to Carthage. The eight were later determined to be stolen, and traced back to a rancher in Hearne, Texas.

Guthrey unloaded the cattle and left his livestock trailer at the auction barn to go find a motel. When Hand arrived at the auction, he inspected the cattle and noticed the trailer's VIN plate had been removed, and the license plate didn't match the trailer on which it was displayed.

When Guthrey returned to the auction and noticed Hand and Panola County Constable Bryan Murff, he took off in his pick-up truck. Hand and Murff chased him toward Carthage and down Highway 149, where Guthrey ran his truck through a gate onto the Luminant Beckville Mine property. He abandoned the truck and took off on foot.

After a seven-hour manhunt, Hurley talked to Guthrey on the phone and convinced him to give himself up. He was charged on outstanding warrants for parole violation, failure to appear on a charge of knowingly concealing stolen property, burglary of a commercial building and fleeing police.

"The suspect specifically told special rangers that he targeted unbranded cattle to steal and sell at cattle auctions, because they are not as easy for authorities to identify when stolen, said Special Ranger Toney Hurley in a news release. "Some of the 70 stolen livestock were branded. These branded cattle were found turned out in a pasture in Camden, Arkansas. Due to the visible brands, these cattle were identified as stolen and were turned over to the rightful owners in Texas."

Guthrey confessed he was involved in cattle thefts stretching from east Texas to central Texas and back to Arkansas. Cattle thefts have been identified in Panola, Robertson, Falls, Limestone, Navarro and Leon Counties.

Rangers expect more charges and arrests to be made.