Cattle rustlers strike in Johnson County

Rustlers don't come 'round these parts much, but police say thieves have wrangled 20 head of cattle in Johnson County.

Rickey L. Teverbaugh told the Johnson County Sheriff's Office that he loaded 20 calves into a holding pen at the Amity Sale Barn, 3079 S. U.S. 31, Franklin, about 7 p.m. Monday. When a worker arrived at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the young cows were gone.

"(Teverbaugh) stated the pen was secured with a chain and padlock," according to a police report. "He reported that he was the only one around when he dropped these cows off."

Teverbaugh told police he had recently purchased the 20 calves from a sale in Kentucky and was planning to auction them Tuesday night. Teverbaugh, who owns the Amity Sale Barn, could not be reached for comment.

Sheriff's Detective James Bryant said the stolen calves are brown and white, and black and white, and each weighs about 130 pounds.

The thieves took the lock and chain along with the animals, Bryant said.

The calves were not branded and had no other identifying marks, police said. The animals are worth about $21,000.

The thieves would have needed a large truck to move the animals, Johnson County Sheriff Doug Cox said. Investigators are checking with area homeowners and businesses to locate surveillance video that might lead to a suspect, Cox said.

This isn't the first recent incident of cattle rustling in Indiana.

A Hendricks County farmer reported that seven head of beef cattle were stolen in 2014.

In 2011, a Northern Indiana farmer reported about 80 head of cattle valued at $120,000 had been stolen from his farm in Argos over 18 months.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter:@vicryc.