Three of four accused cattle thieves will have their initial appearance in Craig County District Court today. Wesley Ryan Schrick, 22, Vinita, Darnell Hooks, 43, Vinita, and Kendrick Charles Jones, 21, Vinita, will be charged with larceny of domestic animals, a felony which carries a penalty of 3-10 years in prison.

A fourth defendant, Ryan Charles Jones, 22, Vinita, considered by law enforcement to be the “ring leader” of the theft, will be arraigned June 10 at 1:30 p.m.

Part of the stolen cattle were located in a Dodge City, Kan., feedlot after they were sold at Joplin, Mo. The cattle belonged at Justin McLain’s place in Bluejacket where he was conditioning them for a Kansas City owner.

Investigators first believed the cattle crossed a water gap onto a place owned by Vinita attorney Carl Jones. His son is Ryan Jones. McLain said it’s possible the heifers crossed the gap, but there is a gate near where the heifers were between McLain’s place and Jones’.

“The fence between us is new,” McLain said. “If 36 head went through somewhere they would’ve torn it down.”

The missing cattle numbered 36, but 32 head were sold at Joplin Stockyards. McLain said part of the 32 were found in the feedlot and the rest are probably in the lots somewhere.

“There’s probably four in somebody’s freezer,” McLain said.

McLain said the heifers were intended for replacement cows and were part of a set of 100. “They were nice heifers and they were going to make nice brood cows,” McLain said.

McLain said the cattle were first discovered missing the Saturday before Easter. “There’s about 1,200 acres of brush,” so riders looked there and over six sections where they might have been. When the heifers weren’t found, McLain hired a plane to look for them. Since the leaves were not on at that time and the heifers weren’t spotted from the air, McLain determined they were stolen.

McLain commended investigator Jason Hutchinson, the Craig County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture for their efficiency investigating the theft. “It was just a couple of days and he (Hutchinson) asked me to look at some cattle,” McLain said.

McLain said between standing at Joplin Stockyards for several days and the trip to Dodge City, the heifers were thin and getting “pretty wrung out.” After all that, McLain said the owner does not want the heifers back.

“It’s a chain reaction,” Assistant District Attorney Ely said of restitution owed for the cattle, since both McLain and the owner had money invested. “They should get reimbursement.” Ely said he intends to prosecute the offenders because the evidence against them is overwhelming.

Hooks has been in prison for a conviction of uttering a forged instrument from a Creek County case. Schrick has been on probation for a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge.