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Shop NowOne herd of North Carolina cows apparently identifies as rats. They were more than happy to lead some small town officers to a hidden suspect. They really don’t appreciate criminals trespassing on their private pasture.
Police appreciate assist from cows
Officers with North Carolina’s Boone Police Department report that they were able to make a quick and simple arrest, thanks to a herd of cows. The bovine block watch group were happy “to narc on the suspect hiding in their pasture.” It’s not something they were expecting and apparently the animals are more intelligent than they get credit for. Thanks to what happened, officials are considering whether the peaceful vegetarians “are adaptable to a variety of police work or if they are limited to finding hiding suspects.”
They might actually be “more cost-effective than K-9 dogs.” There are some snags though. They still need to figure out “how cows will be transported to crime scenes and if doing so would be compatible with the town’s sustainability goals regarding types of vehicles needed and if there are methane issues, and how much it would cost to fund the cows’ training, veterinary care, ballistic vests and other expenses.”
Police officials released a statement later announcing that the fugitive suspect, 34-year-old Joshua Minton, “fled from officers during a traffic stop on Tuesday.” For some reason, criminals think their video game skills will keep them out of prison.
The Boone Police Department in North Carolina said the cows helped officers find a suspect who fled during an attempted traffic stop. https://t.co/BGxngzUCzX
— WRTV Indianapolis (@wrtv) May 15, 2023
Minton “led the officers and Watauga County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a pursuit.” He couldn’t get them off his tail no matter how hard he tried. He had no idea there was a herd of watch cows in his immediate future.
When Minton realized he was never going to out-drive the deputies, and they would probably have a chopper over him soon, “he abandoned his vehicle in the Deep Gap area and ran into an undeveloped area.” It was a good move, police acknowledge.
His “fast and reckless driving” was just fast enough that “officers were not immediately close enough to see where he ran to.” They’ll never find me now, he mistakenly believed. He would have been right except the cows ratted him out.
Some unexpected assistance
Police weren’t expecting what happened next any more than their suspect was. “Officers began searching the area for the man and received some unexpected assistance from cows willing to reveal the suspect’s whereabouts.”
The farm’s rightful occupants led the pigs straight to the rabbit they’d been chasing. The department is lightheartedly considering making it official. They’re examining the “obvious next steps of incorporating a Bovine Tracking Unit.”
“Apparently cows do not want suspected criminals loitering in their pasture and quickly assisted our officers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding,” police relate.
Boone Police Department: "Apparently, cows do not want suspected criminals loitering in their pasture, and quickly assisted our officers by leading them directly to where the suspect was hiding." https://t.co/S7gTDsiALQ
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) May 13, 2023
The herd was obviously trying to tell them something, the department notes. The cattle “communicated with the officers as best they could and finally just had the officers follow them to the suspect’s location.”
When Minton found himself surrounded by cops and and cows alike, he decided to quit while he was behind. Law enforcement cuffed him and booked him in on one “count of felony fleeing and eluding arrest with a motor vehicle, driving with a license revoked, and disorderly conduct.” The judge set bail at $20,000 and he’s due back in court June 28.
“In addition to thanking our officers and deputies for putting themselves in harm’s way; obviously, we want to express our gratitude to the cows for their assistance. This opens up all kinds of questions as to the bovines’ role in crime fighting. Honestly, it is something that we have not considered before now.“
