Animal cruelty charge expected against owner of seized Hill County longhorns

A Hill County cattle owner could face an animal cruelty charge after more than 300 malnourished cattle, mostly longhorns, were seized earlier this month.

A majority of the herd remains in the custody of the Humane Society of North Texas.

The owner is expected to be charged with cruelty to livestock animals, a Class A misdemeanor, after a final custody hearing is held March 2 in Hillsboro, according to the Hill County sheriff.

The owner, who could not be reached for comment, had not been arrested as of Thursday.

In a hearing last week, the Humane Society was granted custody to continue to care for the 338 longhorns and other cattle seized Feb. 9 from a 43-acre ranch about 55 miles south of Fort Worth. Authorities went to the ranch based on tips they had received.

At least 15 cows were found dead on the property, officials said, and 30 wild cattle were not taken from the ranch.

About 67 cattle were sold Monday and 40 more will be sold by the end of the week, Hill County sheriff's Chief Deputy R.D. White said this week.

The owner told authorities some of the seized cattle belonged to other people. White said those owners have until March 2 to file a claim report to the court in Hillsboro.

If the Humane Society is awarded permanent custody March 2, the remaining herd will be placed for adoption in about a month or when they are considered healthy enough, Humane Society spokeswoman Cassie Lackey said in an email.

Humane Society officials continued to ask for donations to help with herd's care. To make a donation visit www.hsnt.org and donate to the Equine and Livestock Fund.

Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763,@mingoramirezjr

This story was originally published February 22, 2018 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Animal cruelty charge expected against owner of seized Hill County longhorns."