REGINA — A Whitewood, Sask., man will appear in court Aug. 20 on cattle theft charges.
Saskatchewan RCMP said July 19 they had received a report from Livestock Services of Saskatchewan on June 28 about a suspicious transaction.
Ryan Bennett, 34, was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada after an investigation by Moosomin RCMP and the RCMP’s livestock investigator.
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They found 14 calves were stolen from a farm in the Rural Municipality of Silverwood in three separate incidents. The person then attempted to sell the calves. Seven were recovered and returned to the owner.
Bennett was arrested July 12 and has been charged with three counts of theft of cattle over $5,000, three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and three counts of trafficking property obtained by crime over $5,000.
RCMP livestock investigator Cpl. Owen Third said he relies mainly on the LSS to let him know of potential thefts.
“We rely quite heavily on what our brand inspectors tell us,” he said.
Garth Woods, operations manager at LSS, said missing livestock aren’t always a criminal matter. Between July 1, 2023, to the end of June this year, the agency received 132 reports involving 595 head.
He noted that just recently 53 head were reported found.
“The reports are seasonal in nature, and many that are not related to anything criminal are slow to resolve themselves as animals are gathered in the fall or spring,” he said.
Meanwhile, the trial for a Martensville, Sask., man charged last year with stealing cattle from Alberta was scheduled to begin July 31 in Saskatoon.
Alvin Hamm was charged in March 2023 after a report of theft in Thorhild, Alta. The investigation and a search warrant in the RM of Corman Park found 10 cows identified through Alberta Livestock Brands. At the time of the arrest some cattle were still missing.
