A Mineola man was arrested Friday by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association www.tscra.org (TSCRA) Special Ranger Larry Hand on 2 counts of hay theft after he allegedly conducted an online hay scam. Special Rangers Hand, Max Hartmann and Doug Hutchison investigated the case.

According to Hand, Steven Clues, 39, began advertising in late summer on internet hay sites. He collected funds by wire transfers on 98 round bales of hay from 2 victims worth an estimated $10,000 but failed to deliver the hay. The victims were from Fayette and Comal counties.

Hand says that a Grand Jury will review the case for possible additional charges.

“These ranchers began ordering hay in Sept. 2011 at the height of the drought and wildfire season,” said Hand. “We’ve seen an increase in this form of hay fraud and expect the situation to get worse as we head into winter and hay supplies dwindle even lower.”

Hand advises ranchers to be extremely cautious when using hay brokers. Get a contract, pay upon delivery when possible, or agree to one of many forms of escrow accounts to minimize your risk.

Clues was released from the Wood County jail Saturday on a $10,000 bond.

Hand would like to thank the Wood County District Attorney’s Office, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the Mineola Police Department for their assistance with this case.

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TSCRA has 30 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 134-year-old trade organization. As the largest and oldest livestock association in Texas, TSCRA represents more than 15,000 beef cattle producers, ranching families and businesses who manage approximately 4 million head of cattle on 75.9 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma. TSCRA provides law enforcement and livestock inspection services, legislative and regulatory advocacy, industry news and information, insurance services and educational opportunities for its members and the industry.