From N.D. Stockmen’s Association

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Reward money has been increased for information that solves two year-old cases of cattle killings in North Dakota.
 
     The reward in a Richland County case in which 13 cows and a calf were shot and killed in a pasture near Hankinson is now up to $15,100. Officials say it’s the largest cattle shooting in the state in recent memory.
 
     The reward in an Oliver County case in which nine cattle were killed is now up to $27,000, the largest such reward in state history.
 
     The main reason for the reward increases is a decision by the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association to increase its standing reward in any case of someone stealing, butchering or shooting cattle, horses or mules in North Dakota. The amount has been increased from $1,000 to $10,000.

 

Previously…

On May 17, 2012, someone opened fire in a remote Hankinson, N.D., pasture, killing 13 cows and a calf and shattering the sense of security for many in the small Richland County community. That someone is still at large, but officials are hopeful a beefed-up reward will generate new interest and leads in the case.

Kevin and Patty Kluge, a brother and sister-in-law to the victim, pitched in an additional $1,000 to the reward fund this week. Together with other private donations, the Kluge reward totals $5,100, in addition to the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association’s (NDSA) standing reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone stealing, butchering or shooting cattle, horses or mules in North Dakota.

The NDSA has offered a standing reward since its inception in 1929. For many years, the reward was worth $1,000, until the NDSA board of directors raised its value to up to $10,000 last year.

Kevin Kluge underscored the impact of the Richland County crime: “This was more than the loss of some cows. This was the loss of a significant share of a family’s livelihood. And that affects the dollars that are spent on Main Street; the tax dollars that are sent back to the state; and everyone who goes to the grocery store and purchases beef.”

Kluge reported that “Missy,” a calf that was orphaned in the shooting and later raised by two surrogate nanny goats owned by longtime NDSA members Daran and Deb Sagvold of McLeod, N.D., is thriving and “a symbol of the animal’s and the family’s resilience.”

NDSA East River Fieldman Fred Frederikson of Carrington, N.D., is assisting the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation in investigating the case. If you have information about it, contact Frederikson at (701) 290-3993 or the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at (701) 642-7711. If you have information regarding any other livestock-related crimes, including the 2011 and 2012 shooting cases in Griggs, Oliver and McKenzie Counties, call NDSA Chief Brand Inspector Stan Misek at (701) 223-2522.

“The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association works hard to protect the state’s livestock industry,” said NDSA Brand Board Chairman Fred Helbling, a Mandan, N.D., rancher. “We are committed to bringing to justice the person who is responsible for this horrific crime.”