Source: NPSO and LDAF
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission arrested a Caldwell Parish woman accused of stealing a horse from its owner in Natchitoches Parish.
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted Oct. 15 by a resident on Old River Road south of Natchez. The owner stated the sorrel/red quarterhorse had been missing since Oct. 3, but the owners initially believed it had simply gotten out of the pen/pasture.
Tasha D. Cubbit, 37, of 518 Hendrix Road, Kelly, La., was arrested by Livestock Brand Commission officers and the Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Office Monday, Oct. 19 and charged with one count of theft of livestock. According to investigators, the LDAF received a complaint from the owner regarding Cubbit’s purchase of a horse.
Cubbit allegedly purchased a horse from the owner, received the horse and failed to pay. Cubbit allegedly then refused to return the horse as required by law. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said, “State law protects owners of livestock from persons not complying with proper payment. When a suspect does not return the livestock he or she does not pay for, it becomes a crime.”
The Livestock Brand Commission was assisted in this investigation by the Natchitoches and Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Offices. At the time of booking, no bond had been set. LDAF Brand Commission inspectors are commissioned officers with the authority to investigate livestock theft and farm-related crimes.