The case first came to light, detectives say, when Greg DeJager, 35, reported about 50 cattle stolen from a farm he leases in Wheelerville, Missouri. DeJager contracted with cattle owners to house the animals on 800 acres for a fee, investigators said.
When detectives served a search warrant to investigate further, they found at least 40 dead cattle and many more in very poor, emaciated condition, according to a news release by the Sheriff's office.
"The remaining cattle were collected and loaded onto trucks and moved to a location where they could be held and rehabilitated. The condition of the live cattle were horrible, with the adult cows emaciated and starving. A veterinarian who was on the scene indicated that the calves looked to be in good health generally, but the adult cattle were not being cared for correctly, not being fed enough and were in poor health due to neglect," the release said.
365 head of cows, calves and bulls were removed from the property and returned to the owner. Another 125 are believed to be missing.
Prosecutors also charged DeJager with theft because detectives believe DeJager moved or sold off some of the cattle, then reported them stolen to the owners.
DeJager is scheduled to be arraigned on the theft charge June 28, and on the neglect charge on July 5, according to online court records.
Detectives say more arrests are possible.
Full news release from Barry County Sheriff's Department:
Arrest Made in Ongoing Cattle Theft and Animal Abuse Case
Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly announces that an arrest has been made in an ongoing cattle theft and animal abuse case.
Greg L. DeJager, 35, Greenfield MO, was arrested in Lawrence County by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Thursday, June 2nd on unrelated charges of Passing a Bad Check.
While DeJager was being held in the Lawrence County Jail, Felony Stealing and Animal Neglect charges from Barry County were issued and DeJager is being held on those charges also, in lieu of $10,000 bond.
The investigation began on May 22nd when DeJager reported over 50 head of cattle stolen or missing from a farm he leased near Wheelerville in Barry County. DeJager had been contracted to take care of the cattle by the owners, who live in Nebraska and were paying DeJager a per head fee to care for the cattle.
Detective Henry began looking into the case and working with the owners of the cattle, determined that DeJager's story initially given to the Sheriff's Office was not the truth. On May 26th, Detective Henry, along with Detectives Terry Meek and Robert Evenson, served a search warrant on the property leased by DeJager
on Farm Road 2080 near Wheelerville. The property is approximately 800 acres.
Sheriff's Office personnel were assisted by the cattle owners as well as "Cowboys" on horseback. DeJager was not present when the warrant was served. During the service of the warrant, the remaining cattle were collected and loaded onto trucks and moved to a location where they could be held and rehabilitated.
The condition of the live cattle were horrible, with the adult cows emaciated and starving. A veterinarian who was on the scene indicated that the calves looked to be in good health generally, but the adult cattle were not being cared for correctly, not being fed enough and were in poor health due to neglect.
A total of 365 head of Cows, calves and bulls were removed from the property and returned to their rightful owner. It is believed that at least 125 head were still missing.
During the service of the search warrant, Detectives located at least 40 dead cattle in various stages of decomposition. Some were in open wooded areas and others had been buried or partially buried by a bulldozer.
During the investigation, it was learned that DeJager had advertised in various online pages and sites and offered his services to cattle owners to take care of their cattle for a fee.
Investigators believe that DeJager collected the fees and then did not properly take care of the cattle. Investigators also believe that DeJager may have moved and/or sold off a number of the cattle entrusted to his care and then reported them stolen to the legitimate owners.
That's what you get when you do business with child sex offenders...
DeJager is the first to be arrested in this scheme and additional arrests are expected as the investigation progresses. Investigators also believe that persons and property involved in this case are spread through Barry, Lawrence and Dade Counties, and may possibly be in an even wider area.
ARREST/SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY INFO:
Full Name: Gregory Leon Dejager
Sex: Male
Birthdate: 02/09/1981
Current age: 35
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 200 lbs
Hair/Eyes: Brown/blue
Last Known Address: 255 N Dade 111, Greenfield, MO 65661
Offense information: Statutory Sodomy-2nd Degree
Offense location: Greenfield, Missouri (Dade County)
Conviction / Plea Information: Statutory Sodomy-2nd Degree
Conviction location: Mount Vernon, Missouri (Lawrence County)
Victim: 11 year old female
(Ozarks First - June 10, 2016)
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