Location: 200 block of Road 128, Delano, in Tulare County
Incident Date: 3/3/17
Incident Time: 0830 hours
Case Number: 17-02586
Victim: Mid Valley Milk Company
City: Delano
Posted by: Media Relations
On 3/3/17 at 0830 hours, Detectives from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes Unit were contacted by a calf ranch on the 200 block of Road 128, in Delano, and advised two calves were stolen from the calf hutches.
Detectives responded to the location and were advised the calves were last seen on 3/2/17 at approximately 1600 hours during the last feeding cycle. On 3/3/2017, employees noticed the calf hutch was separated from the stand and two calves were missing. Employees followed the suspect(s) shoe and calf hoof tracks north of the calf ranch along a dirt road however lost the tracks near a paved road. The calves were approximately 90 days old and weighed approximately 220 pounds each.
On 3/4/17 at 0825 hours, the California Highway Patrol (San Gorgonio Pass Station) located an abandoned 2001 Honda Civic parked on the shoulder of I-10, east of Highland Springs. CHP Officers located the two calves in the vehicle. One calf was located in the trunk and the other was located in the back seat. Both calves had their hooves tied together. The calves were removed from the vehicle with assistance with from the Riverside County Brand Inspector. The calves were transported to a local sales yard to be housed until an owner could be identified.
The 2001 Honda Civic was registered to a residence in Tulare County. The calves were uninjured and healthy and are being shipped back to the calf ranch in Tulare County. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes Unit, CHP San Gorgonio Pass Station, and the California State Brand Inspectors are working together in case.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective J. Armstrong or Sgt. Chad Rhyman with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes Investigations Unit at (559) 735-1898. They can also call 24 hours a day at (559) 733-6218 or anonymously, by accessing the TipNow page at tcso@tipnow.com or (559) 725-4194.