Felony charges follow cattle marking incident

Two ranchers face property destruction charges after using bleach to paint markings, including drawings of penises, on a total of 189 cows and six bulls belonging to their neighbor.

The father-son duo claimed their actions were intended to bring their neighbor’s attention to the problem of broken fences that weren’t being fixed quickly enough. The markings led to an estimated loss in value for the cattle of $141,750.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a county rancher on June 21, stating that a neighbor had “bleached” his c...