Agricultural News
Second Cattle Theft Suspect Charged in 2011 Muskogee County Case
Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:20:02 CST
A second suspect pleaded guilty Friday to livestock theft charges after stealing cattle from a Muskogee County rancher in September 2011.
Joseph Tanner Harper, 20, of Haskell, Okla., was sentenced to 2, five-year deferred sentences to run concurrently and over $5,000 in fines and court costs in Muskogee County after he was convicted of stealing 18 head of cattle from one rancher and a stock trailer from another.
Harper also pleaded guilty in Wagoner County for stealing a pickup truck. He was sentenced to a 5-year deferred sentence to run concurrently with the other 2 sentences and 1 year in rehab.
The initial arrest was made in September 2011 when then 25-year-old Billy Chris Barnett III, also of Haskell, Okla., was charged and convicted with the same cattle theft and theft of the stock trailer and additional cattle pens that were used in the transport of the stolen cattle.
Barnett was sentenced to 6 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODC) and a 12-year suspended sentence.
According to Texas and Southwestern Cattle Association Special Ranger John Cummings, at the time of the thefts, areas in and around Muskogee, Wagoner and Okmulgee counties were experiencing several cattle and equipment thefts.
"It's our goal to see these types of investigations brought to successful conclusions so that victims can move forward with their lives," Cummings said. "Now that both suspects have been charged and sentenced, we expect this to serve as a deterrent for future ag crimes in this area."
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