TN Man Charged With Rustling, Animal Cruelty

A Puryear man is accused of stealing dozens of cattle from a Kirksey, KY farm, and faces animal cruelty charges after authorities discovered what is being described as a grisly scene on his property. 

Captain Adam Jenkins with the Henry County Sheriff's Department says 23-year-old Travis Hale faces one count of theft of property over $10,000 and 21 counts of animal cruelty. The charges come after deputies were called to Hale's farm Tuesday afternoon and found 48 cattle that were reported stolen from the farm of Gary Brame.

Jenkins said Kentucky State Police contacted his agency about the theft, and deputies went to the scene to investigate. When they arrived, Jenkins said deputies discovered that Hale had removed the ear tags from Brame's Cows in an effort to conceal their identities. All of the stolen cattle were reportedly in good condition, according to Jenkins. The value of the stolen cattle is estimated to be more than $33,000.

Jenkins said that while deputies were at Hale's property, they found 21 dead and severely emaciated cows inside a fenced in area. He says it's unclear how long the animals had been kept in those conditions.

"It was obvious some had been dead longer than others," Jenkins said. "I couldn't even begin to tell you how many that you could see their ribs and backbone. If we hadn't gone up there when we went there, there would have been way more than 21 dead."

Jenkins says he's never seen a case like this during his career in law enforcement. "I've been here for 17 years, and this is the first cattle rustling case I've been a part of." Jenkins said.

Hale was arraigned Thursday. His next court appearance is set for Dec. 8. He is being held in the Henry County Jail on a $125,000 bond.

The Sheriff's Department says more charges are possible.