NEWS

Bienville Man Arrested for Cattle-related Theft

October 10, 2022

For Immediate Release:              
October 10, 2022

Contact:
Jennifer Finley, Press Secretary – 225-922-1256
Megan Moore, Public Information Director – 225-935-2179
presssecretary@LDAF.la.gov

Bienville Man Arrested for Cattle-related Theft

BATON ROUGE – A Bienville Parish resident was arrested on October 6 by agents with the Louisiana Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Division and the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Department. The arrest resulted from an arrest warrant from Bienville Parish regarding an investigation conducted by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission.

Thirty-four-year-old Jeremy S. Shephard of Dubberly, La., was arrested in Arcadia on a warrant for Felony Theft over $5,000. The LDAF’s Livestock Brand Commission investigation determined that Shephard allegedly received 24 head of cattle on or about July 2021. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Shephard failed to render proper payment to the owner of the cattle and subsequently sold the same cattle to a third party and retained the funds of that sale. The acquisition of the livestock and failure to render proper payment is a violation of R.S.14:67.1 (Theft of Livestock).

“Louisiana law is clear when referring to the purchase of livestock and protects livestock owners from persons not complying with proper payment,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “If determined guilty, the suspect will be in violation of the theft of livestock statute and held responsible for his crime. Regardless of the outcome, however, I urge our cattle owners to be aware of the persons they conduct private treaty sales with. It never hurts to get multiple references, and it can save you from being the victim of an untrustworthy seller.”

The Livestock Brand Commission was assisted with this investigation by the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Department and the Louisiana Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Division.

At this time, Shephard is booked in the Bienville Parish Jail, and his bond has been set at $50,000.

The Livestock Brand Commission maintains a 24-hour Crimestoppers hotline at (800) 558-9741 for the public to report thefts.

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