Florida Man Charged For Grand Cattle Theft

Manatee County Sheriff's Office received a different cow tip call then what they were used to, leading to charging a Myakka City man for stealing cattle.

The sheriff's office on Wednesday arrested and charged Daniel May, 27 of 44300 SR64 E. Myakka City, with grand theft, and Polk County  law enforcement are charging May with seven counts of dealing in stolen property, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office received a tip in October about a possible cattle theft, when 70-year-old David Turner of Lakeland reported that he was missing cows from his Duette Road ranch in Myakka City that had turned missing since January 2012, according to the sheriff's office report.

Investigators found that May sold Turner's cattle to a Polk County auction and others in Desoto County, according to the sheriff's office, finding May's signatures on all the sale receipts.

Polk County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Manatee investigators about the case, and with the timeline and the evidence obtained and wrote arrest warrants for May.

May also has an outstanding charge of felony dealing in stolen property, according to Manatee County court records. He pled on Feb. 6 not guilty to that charge.