Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
10/16/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/16/2026 08:06
LDAF Investigation Leads to Arrest in St. Landry Parish Livestock Theft Case
News
LDAF Investigation Leads to Arrest in St. Landry Parish Livestock Theft Case
Press release
For immediate release: October 16, 2026
OPELOUSAS, La. - October 16, 2026 - An investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry's (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission led to the arrest of 26-year-old Cortland C. Smith on a warrant for two counts of theft of livestock. Smith was arrested by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office on October 11, 2026.
In August 2025, Livestock Brand Commission inspectors received a complaint from a public livestock market regarding the alleged fraudulent purchase of six horses valued at $7,200 during two separate transactions in St. Landry Parish. Investigators determined that proper payment allegedly had not been made, resulting in arrest warrants for three suspects.
Smith was arrested during a traffic stop, booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail and released on a $5,000 bond. A second suspect has also been booked into the parish jail. The third suspect is being held in Texas on unrelated charges pending extradition to Louisiana.
NOTE: All persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The LDAF Livestock Brand Commission maintains a 24-hour Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 558-9741 for reporting livestock theft and other agricultural crimes.
Contact info
Jennifer Finley, Press Secretary
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry published this content on October 16, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 16, 2026 at 14:06 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]