Fortuna man accused of livestock theft

Stolen goat and calf returned to owners

A Fortuna man faces a stealing charge after the victim's show calf reportedly was found on a property a short distance from where the animal was taken.

The Moniteau County Sheriff's Office reports Harold Timothy Hancock, 35, is accused of theft of livestock. He was arrested and jailed Sunday with bond set at $40,000.

Deputies responded Sunday to a Liberty Road residence where the victim reported the overnight theft of his 150-pound calf named Lilly and 300 pounds of feed. A short time after making the initial report, the victim contacted deputies again to report he had spotted his calf in a temporary enclosure on another property "just down from his residence."

When they went to the property to investigate, deputies report spotting a red goat matching the description of a goat named Ruby that had been stolen July 7 from Richland Creek Road.

Deputies then attempted for approximately 45 minutes to make contact with the people inside the residence until Hancock came out of the home. He reportedly became very aggressive toward deputies and was detained at the scene while deputies sought a search warrant.

Deputies allege several other stolen items were found along with feed, tools and an electric fencer. The calf and goat were then positively identified by their owners, who discovered the ear tags had been removed.

Hancock then was taken into custody.