Oklahoma man sentenced to prison for cattle thefts; second suspect at large

OSAGE COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) -- An Oklahoma man convicted of cattle thefts earlier this year has been sentenced to prison.

An investigation began last year after Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger Bart Perrier received complaints from three separate victims in the area who alleged that calves had been stolen from their pastures.

Perrier discovered that the missing cattle had been sold through several different livestock auction markets in northeastern Oklahoma and southern Kansas.

Records from the auction markets tied Cody Joseph Porter, 32, and Michael Joseph Demaro, 43, to the crimes. The investigation also revealed several related cattle and equipment thefts across Oklahoma.

Porter and Demaro were charged in August 2018 with three counts of larceny in Osage County.

On February 27, Porter was convicted on three counts of larceny of domestic animals, cattle. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and another 10 on probation.

Officials say Demaro has yet to be arrested on the Osage County charges and has an outstanding arrest warrant.