Earlier this month Kiley Wayne Johnson was arrested for cattle rustling in southern Oklahoma. The 19-year old Henryetta, Oklahoma native was charged with eight counts of larceny of livestock, according to a release from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

While “cattle rustling” is a term normally found in old B-Western movies, according to TSCRA spokesman Jason Skaggs, the organization has seen a significant uptick in cattle thefts in Oklahoma and Texas. The association is urging cattle owners to stay vigilant regarding daily head counts and marking their cattle. They’re also asking cattle owners to contact law enforcement as soon as they notice cattle have gone missing.

“Time is of the essence,” TSCRA Special Agent Bart Perrier told the Woodward (Okla.) News. “That’s such a cliche phrase but so vital in agriculture because most of the time, if you wait, your beef has already been slaughtered.”

A strong market is behind some of the increase in cattle theft, according to Skaggs

“I think mainly it’s because cattle prices are good and the thieves are wanting to capitalize on that,” Skaggs said. “Cattle thefts are up all over the place, really.” 

The warrant was issued for Johnson by the Okmulgee County district court after an investigation revealed that he had stolen 17 head of calves and 13 head of cows from five different victims who reside near Henryetta in Okmulgee County.

According to Perrier, who led the multi-county investigation, during the fall of 2014 Johnson and his associates started stealing cattle and selling them at Oklahoma livestock markets in Okmulgee, Checotah, Bristow and Hugo.

Johnson was held on a $200,000 bond. But Perrier said more charges could be coming.

Authorities are still searching for Johnson’s accomplices as the investigation continues. According to Perrier, the majority of the accomplices are minors, so their records will not be made public. 

“This case is a little abnormal because most of the time the cattle thefts around here are committed by methamphetamine addicts,” Perrier said. “None of these kids are on meth. It’s just kids finding a way to make a buck.”

Van Horn writes for The Woodward (Okla.) News.