Audio By Carbonatix
Seriously, who steals cows?
Aside from the obvious physical challenges such a task presents, the legal ramifications don’t decrease based on difficulty of theft.
In other words, you’re better off stealing a diamond — or just about anything that doesn’t weigh as much as a small car and that doesn’t require you persuade it to get onto a truck.
A New Mexico man apparently was up for the challenges of stealing a bovine (or 202 of ’em) — at least authorities in eastern Arizona seem to think so.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Jason Kirby, 34, of Datil, New Mexico, was indicted last month for stealing 202 head of cattle from a ranch near Superior.
According to the Arizona Republic, Kirby had been hired by the ranch’s owner to oversee about 500 cows on the ranch.
Kirby, however, had plans of his own, and rather than watch over the cows, he loaded them onto trucks and tried to sell them to a buyer in Texas — where no bill of sale is required to buy or sell cattle.
The stolen cows were worth about $200,000, so their owner — as expected — wasn’t thrilled when nearly half of his cattle went missing.
Authorities caught wind of what Kirby was up to and tracked him down in Georgia, where he was arrested.
Kirby’ been charged with fraudulent schemes, trafficking in stolen property, and two counts of theft.
He’ll be in court on Monday for a pre-trial hearing.
