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Horses stolen from multiple parishes found in Baton Rouge; 14-year-old arrested in livestock heists

1 year 7 months 2 weeks ago Tuesday, February 28 2023 Feb 28, 2023 February 28, 2023 4:15 PM February 28, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

PRAIRIEVILLE - Law enforcement tracked stolen horses from at least two different parishes to a vacant home in Baton Rouge, finding one of the animals with life-threatening injuries.

Officials said a 14-year-old is in custody and several more arrests are likely. The teen was booked for theft of livestock, damage to property, felony theft and five counts of burglary.

Ascension Parish deputies said three of the horses, Cajeta, Romeo and Rhett, were taken early Friday morning from a home near LA 73 and Henry Road. 

The owner of those horses, Kassandra Crissman, said the thieves took a two-horse trailer from their home, so they must have showed up with a horse trailer of their own. She said feed, hay, halters, wheelbarrows and horse boots were also stolen. 

On Monday, deputies said the three horses taken from Ascension were found at an abandoned property in the area of  Duke Street, which is off Plank Road. The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said two horses taken from the Brusly area over the weekend were found at that same home Monday.

Crissman told WBRZ that at least one of her horses was gravely wounded and was rushed to the LSU vet school for treatment. 

Both horses taken from West Baton Rouge were returned to their owner unharmed.

It comes a little more than a week after several horses were taken from another property in the Prairieville area. Three people, including two 16-year-olds, were arrested after deputies recovered those horses in Iberville Parish. 

This incident is just the latest livestock theft. 

Two weeks ago in Ascension Parish, three horses were stolen off of someone's property. Arrests were made and the horses were returned.

The two thefts, and a horse being left to die on the Southern University's campus weeks ago, has made many question if these incidents were connected to the same group of people.

"It's possible," Daniel Piatkiewicz, Director of  East Baton Rouge Animal Control told WBRZ. "It is strange, someone should come forward and speak to the issue that we are having with these horses," Piatkiewicz said.

WBRZ asked the Ascension Parish Sheriff's office if the thefts are connected. They said it's too soon to say for certain whether there's any connection.

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