Department of Agriculture and Forestry, State of Louisiana - Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner

NEWS

Arrests Made in Cattle Thefts

December 18, 2014

Two men are under arrest following an investigation by the Louisiana Livestock Brand Commission for allegedly stealing three cows and selling them at the Kinder Livestock Auction in Kinder, La.

Allen Tyler Meylian, 20, from Kinder and Jacob Chance Constance, 23, from Lake Charles were booked into Allen Parish Jail today and each was charged with one count of theft of livestock.

According to an investigator with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Brand Commission, the two suspects reportedly removed old back tags from three cows that were being held at Kinder Livestock Auction. Back tags are a temporary form of identification used on cattle in livestock markets.

The stolen cows were given new tags indicating they were owned by one of the suspect’s relatives. The three cows sold on Monday, December 15, 2014 and a check for $4170.97 was written to the suspect’s relative.  Investigators say Jacob Constance accepted the check.

A Kinder Livestock Auction employee contacted the Brand Commission on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 to report the theft. Brand inspection records and animal health traceability records confirmed the three cows sold in the name of the suspect’s relative were the same three cows missing from the pen where they were being held by their owner. 

LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said, “This case highlights the importance of livestock identification and our animal health traceability systems which clearly helped to verify that those were indeed the stolen cattle.”