Traton Vanderpool, 22, of Oologah received a total of 40 years on eight counts of animal cruelty. All but two years of the sentence will be suspended as long as Vanderpool makes court-ordered restitution going forward, according to Michelle Lowry, community outreach coordinator for the District Attorney’s Office.
Vanderpool will remain on probation following his release from prison.
“The cattle owners, Steve Branen and Lyle Blakely, credit the media’s initial coverage of the case in helping investigators solve the crime, and the prosecutor’s diligence this year in getting a good sentence for the cruel acts,” Lowry said in a statement.
Two of the 11 animals shot reportedly managed to survive. Several of the cows were pregnant and had about a month before they were due to give birth, according to the cattle owners.
In 2012, Vanderpool and Jared Barlass, who also took part in the shootings, received sentencing of a year in the Department of Corrections. The District Attorney’s Office accelerated Vanderpool’s sentencing after he failed to pay court-ordered restitution.
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| Vanderpool and Barlass |
Vanderpool and Barlass are also ordered to pay more than $84,000 to Branen and Blakley for the monetary value of the cattle.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Rogers County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
(Claremore Progress - April 20, 2015)
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