Theft was on February 8
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The farmer who owned the cattle taken last week northwest of Dell Rapids said he noticed tracks in the snow by his corral, and that led to him to call the sheriff.
“We counted when the sheriff was here and came up 29 short,” said Joe Geraets, who owns the heifers, valued at about $1,000 each, with his dad and two brothers. They planned on feeding the cattle until they were about 1,300 pounds and ready for slaughter, he said.
The Moody County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft and as of Monday morning, didn’t have a suspect.
The cattle were reportedly stolen after 11 p.m. Feb. 7 but before 8 the following morning from the feedlot, according to a sheriff’s report. Each weighed about 600 pounds and were mostly black with some red cattle with orange tags.
The heifers were out of a Geraets Brothers feedlot that had 153 animals, Geraets said. They were not insured. Some had ear tags that would help identify them, but the tags could be cut out. They also had ear notches, which would help him identify them, he said.
Law enforcement say they also are looking into a trailer that may have been used in the incident and have notified livestock sale barns and the state brand board, although the animals were not branded.
The trailer in question was earlier left at a repair place in Sioux Falls and was clean inside. But when it was picked up by the owner on Feb. 8, it was dirty inside, the sheriff’s office said.
Law enforcement suspects more than one person is involved in the incident but no one specifically has been identified as a suspect, said Marty Skroch, director of human resources for the county. Sheriff Troy Wellman was not available for comment.
“They want people to call with anything they know or hear or see,” Skroch said.
“They are following up on leads,” he said of law enforcement. “There’s just a lot of calls coming in from all over. We’re following up on anything we hear right now.”
Geraets said no one in the family saw anything suspicious, but they are hopeful the cattle are found. “It feels like your privacy has been violated,” he said.
