SHAKOPEE, Minn. — In a YouTube video titled "Rustling is still a thing," Bloomington Police Chief Booker T. Hodges begins by saying "I'm going to talk to you about a crime that city dwellers don't often have to talk about."
Hodges is referring to a woman who was recently arrested and charged with stealing a sheep from a farm in Bloomington.
Last week, prosecutors charged 42-year-old Mary Kay Bower of St. Paul with rustling and livestock theft, which is a felony.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, around 6:45 p.m., officers were called to Old Shakopee Road East on a report of a man and woman walking a dog and a sheep.
Bower originally told the officers she had purchased the sheep, according to court documents. However, the man with Bower told officers she "had stepped over the fence to a farm, put a leash on the sheep, and then pulled the sheep through the fence. The male said {Bower} pulled so hard that the sheep was choking."
Officers said they confirmed with the nearby farm's owner that the sheep was stolen. The farm's owner said the sheep "is a breeding hair ram worth approximately $500."
Chief Hodges ended the Youtube video by saying the ram was in good condition and Bower's dog and a "bunny rabbit" that she also had in her possession had been returned to her after she was released from the Hennepin County Jail.
