South Dakota man who stole cattle from Walsh County rancher avoids jail time

Aug. 28--GRAFTON, N.D. -- A South Dakota man who stole four head of cattle from a Walsh County rancher will avoid jail time if he pays more than $30,000 in restitution.

Jeffrey Frank Fix, 55, of Bath, S.D., was sentenced Aug. 14 in Walsh County District Court for theft of property, a Class B felony, after he failed to pay almost $30,000 for three cows and a bull he purchased from the Jallo Angus Ranch of Fordville, N.D., according to a Monday news release from the North Dakota Stockmen's Association.

Fix signed a plea agreement saying he took possession of the purebred Angus cattle in March 2015, but he repeatedly asked the ranchers not to cash a check that later bounced.

The Jallo ranch made several attempts to collect their money and eventually found out Fix sold the cows, charging documents state. He also sold semen straws and didn't honor "the semen revenue sharing interest" agreement with the ranch.

Fix later abandoned the bull in South Dakota, according to the Stockmen's Association.

A Class B felony carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a fine of $20,000, but Fix was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended. The remaining three will be stayed if he meets monthly payments of $1,000 to his victims.

He owes the Jallo ranch $29,900, along with $775 in court fees. A $5,000 cash bond was applied to the amount due.

Judge Richard Geiger also prohibited fix from selling or buying livestock for five years.

Theft of livestock is becoming more common, whether it be through insurance fraud, deception or simply stealing cattle from the pasture, said Fred Frederikson, who has been a Stockmen's Association fieldman for 20 years. Cases like Fix's are more rare because buyers typically follow through on deals.

But ranchers still should be cautious, especially in an age where "a handshake deal" isn't enough, Frederikson said.

"It's a lot simpler to get that check before that animal gets on the trailer," he said.

Fix pleaded guilty in 2007 in federal court to crop fraud, embezzlement and forgery in South Dakota, according to court documents.

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