Restless night, rustled cattle
By Doug Toburen

A Spring Hill, Kan., producer foiled two cattle thieves when she noticed suspicious activity. A quick call to police resulted in the arrest of the thieves and the return of her cattle, as well as her neighbors' cattle and trailers.

Fear of cattle rustlers keeping you up nights? Sometimes a little insomnia pays off. For Spring Hill, Kan., producer Susie Mackey, tossing and turning get the credit for the apprehension of the thieves who stole her cattle.

"Some of our neighbors had lost some cattle recently, so all of us were concerned," said Mackey. "It seemed the thefts were happening on Thursday nights, and as I laid in bed I was having a little trouble sleeping."

According to Mackey, about 4 a.m. she heard a vehicle go by. It sounded like the vehicle was pulling a trailer. A little later, another one came by. That convinced her to get out of bed and find out what was going on.

"I saw a truck and trailer slowing in front of my house, so I didn't really think. I got in my car with my pajamas on and with my cell phone," Mackey explained.

As she began following the truck and trailer, the driver seemed to become suspicious. "After I followed them for a little while, the driver pulled over as if to let me go by. As I got closer to the trailer, I saw the cattle in it had my ear tags on them, so I called the sheriff's department."

The Johnson County sheriff's department responded quickly and stopped the truck and trailer within a few miles.

"We were able to make the stop and take several men into custody," Sgt. Brian Clark said.

Cattle weren't the only things the men had an interest in stealing, though. "These guys had 90 acres rented, and it had a barn on it. That's where the other truck and trailer that I heard go by first went to," Mackey said.

Upon arrival at the property, the sheriff's department found cattle as well as trailers stolen from farmers in the area.

Although Mackey got the rustlers caught, she doesn't consider herself a hero. "I just acted on my gut instinct and followed them. I wasn't really scared, but I was cautious and didn't get too close," Mackey said.

"Susie did good getting these guys caught, but you have to always remember to be careful. Once the police get involved, it is time for everyone to step back and let them do their job," Clark said. "These guys are thieves. They oftentimes are armed, and they don't want to get caught and go to jail. That can sure make them dangerous."

Sgt. Clark advises producers to call any time they see something suspicious. "So many times people tell us after something happens that they were sure wondering about that certain person or vehicle. People think about it too long. If you think something is suspicious, contact the authorities," he stressed.

Although several rustlers in Johnson County have been caught, it doesn't mean producers can drop their guard.

"There were four to five people involved in this deal. They were smart about stealing the cattle and then breaking them up and selling them at sale barns as far as 100 miles away," Clark said. "There could be more people out there doing the same thing, so everyone just needs to keep their eyes open and pay attention."

--This story is reprinted from the May 24 issue of Farm Talk.