Warrant issued for Bismark Man for loss of cattle
A warrant has been issued by Howard County Circuit Court Judge Tom Cooper for the arrest of 31-year-old James Barrett Hall of Bismarck, Arkansas for one count of criminal mischief in the 1st degree. The charge is a class B felony.
According to the affidavit from an investigator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, a gentleman by the name of Judd Wall contacted the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division on January 7th, regarding the loss of his cattle due to starvation and lack of care in Howard County.
The next day, Special Agent Justin Smith along with Wall informed Smith that he had an agreement with Hall since July of 2022 to oversee the care and pasturing of Wall’s cattle in Howard County. Wall stated he had paid Hall $16,135 from July of 2022 to January of 2023.
Wall reported his cattle were in poor shape and that there were several dead animals on the property. Wall stated he took the live cattle to a ranch in Okolona.
On January 10th, a veterinarian examined the live cattle and reported they were in poor to emaciated condition.
Smith also interviewed a neighbor that reported he had not seen anyone tending to the cattle in months and that the cattle did not stay fenced in.
Wall told Special Smith that Hall never advised him of the loss of any cattle and was invoiced every month for the number head that they had originally agreed upon.
A cattle appraiser with the Nacogdoches Livestock Exchanged estimated the deceased cattle had a fair market value of $72,550.
