Fourth Suspect Arrested in Harrison County Cattle Theft Case

A fourth suspect was arrested on Sunday and charged with third degree felony theft of livestock after helping three other suspects steal 12 head of penned yearling cattle from a Harrison County ranch on Sept. 30, 2014. All four suspects are now under indictment as of April 30 and were arrested on various dates.

This joint investigation was conducted by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger Larry Hand and Harrison County Sheriff’s Investigator BJ Fletcher.

Hand and many local authorities have been working on this investigation since Sept. 30, 2014 and evidentiary leads spanned across four counties. The arrest of the fourth suspect, Alex Christopher Hinton, 34, of Carthage, Texas, occurred after Hinton’s employer and the alleged suspect’s truck were located in March 2015. Witnesses had described a flatbed truck to Hand in October and he was able to locate the suspect’s truck in March with help from DPS Intelligence. Panola Deputies arrested Hinton after indictment.

On Sept. 30, 2014, Stacie Laine Soape, 43; Hinton; Michael Duane Nettles, 31; and Elizabeth Ann Newton, all from Carthage, Texas, allegedly stole 12 head of penned yearlings around midnight from a Harrison County ranch. Soape, Nettles and Newton then allegedly returned to the ranch later that night and stole saddles and tools, according to law enforcement officials.

Seven of the 12 head of cattle have been retrieved and Hinton allegedly took his share of five head of yearlings from a hidden location in Panola County on the night of the theft. Three saddles, assorted tack and numerous power tools and equipment were recovered on Oct. 2, 2014.

Anyone with further information regarding the unaccounted five head of stolen cattle in this case should contact TSCRA’s Operation Cow Thief hotline at 888-830-2333 or call Hand at 903-592-5252. A cash reward may be paid to individuals who can provide useful information leading to the arrest and indictment of suspect(s). Individuals reporting information may choose to remain anonymous.

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.

(Source: Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.)