ELLISBURG, NY — A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft of 17 cattle valued at approximately $20,000 from two farms.
Brett M. Bruneau, of Mohawk, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with two counts of grand larceny in the third degree and one count of burglary in the third degree.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received cattle theft complaints in January from Bellwood Farms and Birch Creek Farms in the town of Ellisburg.
Four Holstein calves and 13 Holstein heifers were stolen from the farms.
All charges against Bruneau are class D felonies.
Detectives and deputies arrested Bruneau in Mohawk and transported him to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for processing.
He was arraigned in CAP Court and given a pretrial release with a return date of April 1 in Town of Ellisburg Court.
The whereabouts of the stolen cattle cannot be determined at this time.
Investigation suggests the cattle were offloaded shortly after the theft and are no longer traceable.
During the initial stages of the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office posted a request for public assistance on its Facebook page.
Over 160,000 people viewed the post, generating many tips.
