Carole Wagner still tears up when she talks about the senseless and violent death of her 12-year-old lead cow in October.
The Dewey-Humboldt resident said someone shot the animal in the head, then followed as it stumbled down the hill in the dark, sliced its neck and apparently attempted to butcher it.
"I can't stop thinking about how her last moments were filled with terror," Wagner said about her pet cow. "She didn't deserve that."
Wagner has one of the last working ranches in Dewey-Humboldt with a 640-acre section of pasture off Iron King Road, about a mile east of Highway 69. She has a hard time understanding why anyone would shoot an animal that she described as very smart and a "good girl."
"She gave one calf a year, and was so smart. I had a lot of respect for that cow. I told her she could live out her life in that pasture," Wagner said.
The cow would approach the gate when she'd hear Wagner drive up in the pickup to feed her. Wagner said if the cow had heard a vehicle, it would have wandered up to the gate. The pasture is large and the rancher said she wasn't too concerned when a couple of weeks went by without seeing the animal.
"She would go on walkabouts and then come home," Wagner said.
The story of the cow's whereabouts unfolded when Yavapai County Sheriff's officers arrested three adults and a juvenile on unrelated burglary charges. Apparently, during a conversation with Prescott Valley police officers, one of them made statements about shooting a bull, said PV Officer Art Askew. The cow had a nice set of horns and Wagner affectionately called her Horney.
The three adults - Earl Osborn, Robert Stone and Clinton Vaughn - and the 16-year-old juvenile are all from Prescott Valley. It was Osborn who allegedly shot the cow, Askew said.
According to Yavapai County Attorney Matt Cochran, the four were gold panning on state land. They allegedly cut through a barbed wire fence and drove onto Wagner's property.
"They came across the cow with horns and apparently Osborn decided he was going to shoot and kill the cow and take the meat," Cochran said.
Osborn allegedly used a handgun, shot the cow, and cut its throat. Another vehicle drove up and the driver stopped to ask directions. The four suspects allegedly left soon afterwards, afraid the person would call the police.
"In the course of the burglary investigation, one of suspects admitted to this cow being killed," Cochran said.
"This is the first time I've ever dealt with it. We appreciate all the public assistance in locating the victim and bringing closure to her. For her, it was a devastating crime."
Since Wagner was unaware of what had happened to her cow, she hadn't filed any reports.
"We couldn't find that this had been reported," Cochran said. "It just developed off leads looking into the burglaries."
He said PV Police Officer Paul Dunn, who works as a school resource officer at Bradshaw Mountain High School, is familiar with many of the ranchers in the area. Dunn contacted several and got the word out to locate the cow's owner.
The County Attorney's Office charged Osborn, Stone and Vaughn with:
• Conspiracy to commit burglary, second degree, Class III felony.
• Burglary of non-residence, Class II felony.
• Theft, Class I misdemeanor.
• Criminal damage, Class I misdemeanor.
• Criminal damage, Class V felony.
• Cruelty to Animal, Class VI felony.
• Theft, Class I misdemeanor.
• Criminal Damage, Class II misdemeanor.
• Criminal Littering/ Polluting, Class II misdemeanor.
• Possession and Unlawfully Taking Wildlife, Class I misdemeanor.
• Taking Wildlife without a Valid License, Class II misdemeanor.
On Dec. 16, Stone pleaded guilty to several charges including theft, attempted burglary, criminal damage, and unlawful taking of wildlife, said Penny Cramer, County Attorney administrative assistant. Judge Thomas Lindberg sentenced Stone, on these and other charges arising from unrelated incidents, to four years supervised probation, 120 days in jail with 56 days credit, and restitution.
Vaughn has a sentencing hearing on Jan. 10, and Osborn is set for a pre-trial conference on Jan. 25.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010
Article comment by:
trippetta
Maybe these were the same men responsible for the poaching of elk not long ago....
