Cattle rustlers hit Hall County

Hall County authorities are on the lookout for cattle rustlers and the cows they’ve stolen.

The 30 cattle -- 15 cows and 15 calves -- were stolen between Oct. 13 and 14, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. They have mixed colors, and some are branded with the letters “WT” on the hip.

They were taken from a holding pen in the 4000 block of Holly Springs Road in Gillsville in east Hall County.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks said the owner, Wayne Wright, 67, of Jefferson in Jackson County, has gone to great lengths to notify sale houses to be on the lookout for the cattle, which are valued at $21,500.

“Since 15 of these were calves we can only assume that someone took those with the intention of keeping those and raising those until they were ready to be sold at auction,” Wilbanks said. The others could be kept or might be destined for the slaughterhouse.

Wilbanks said there hasn’t been a cattle rustling for three years, and that only involved a dairy cow, which was later recovered. “It’s not a common occurrence in Hall County,” Wilbanks said.

The Sheriff’s Office says if anyone knows anything about the thefts to call investigators at 770-531-6879.