Cattle Rustler Admits to Theft While Drunk; Lands Three in Jail
Three people are facing charges for stealing cattle after one of them admitted to stealing cattle while having a drunken conversation.
The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) was able to track down three people connected to the theft of six cattle in Clay County, Texas after Ayden Milam, 20, admitted to the crime while he was drinking.
Milam was drinking with another person, who was a neighbor of the rancher who lost cattle, talking about the craziest thing they had ever done. Milam told the man that he had stolen some cattle from the back pasture just a few weeks prior and sold the cattle at an auction barn in Wichita Falls.
The theft occurred on Aug. 8, 2017, and TSCRA special rangers received information about the case on Aug. 29.
TSCRA special agent John Bradshaw already had a person of interest after being contacted by the auction barn in Wichita Falls, but the case started to come together with the help of Milam’s drunk admission.
Bradshaw says that Brandt Dale Beasley, 38, and Shannon Boles, 51, were seen selling the cattle in Wichita Falls. Milam was also in the pickup but witnesses at the sale barn did not see him.
After the cattle were reported missing Bradshaw was alerted by the Wichita Livestock Sales Co. Beasley was already a known criminal and was in the Archer County jail for unrelated charges at the time of Milam and Boles’ arrests.
Beasley allegedly cashed the check for $6,420.21 and kept all of the proceeds.
Upon interviewing all of the parties involved Beasley wanted to take all of the blame for the cattle theft.
“He’s been arrested 32 times, not counting the warrant I had for him,” Bradshaw says of Beasley. “He’s been to the penitentiary, he’s been to state prison, he’s been to jail. This is kind of old hat for him.”
Beasley attempted to negotiate a sentence in an attempt to keep Milam and Boles out of legal trouble, but as Bradshaw pointed out that is up to the district attorney’s office.
Cattle theft is typically a third degree felony in Texas. Because three or more people were involved in the theft that makes it organized crime which could result in a second degree felony. Bradshaw says the difference between the two is the amount of time in prison. A third degree theft is 2-10 years, while second degree is 2-20 years.
Boles and Milam have since been released on a $50,000 bond. Beasley remains in custody and has been moved to the Clay County jail. The three are awaiting sentencing.
More information about the case can be found from the following sources:
