BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) — Four Louisiana men were arrested on allegations they stole, shot and killed two Asian water buffalo owned by a local rancher, the state agriculture department said.
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said the suspects harvested the meat, hide and heads of the buffalo, worth an estimated $10,000, that were stolen in Plaquemines Parish.
The arrested men, according to the agriculture department, were: 30-year-old Andrew Crawford, of Braithwaite; 35-year-old Billy W. Johnson, Jr., of Buras; 37-year-old Randall J. Siebert, of Saint Bernard; and 32-year-old Lance L. Siebert, of Braithwaite.
“The suspects’ social media posts were helpful in investigating this case,” Strain said in a statement about the agency’s joint investigation with the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged cattle rustlers were booked into the parish detention center on Friday, and face a fine and possibly jail time if convicted for theft of livestock, Strain’s office said.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the four suspects had attorneys.