12 cows stolen from Ellenburg property

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July 30, 2010

â Animals taken in less than 2 hours; farmer, wife at doctor's appointment

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG Staff Writer The Press Republican Fri Jul 30, 2010, 03:28 AM EDT

ELLENBURG DEPOT — A lifelong farmer was shocked this week to return home and find some of his prized heifers missing.

Conrad Frennier and his wife, Linda, left their Con Road home Wednesday afternoon for a last-minute doctor's appointment in Plattsburgh.

After being gone less than two hours, the Frenniers returned home around 5 p.m. to find that 12 of their young cows had been stolen from inside their barn.

"I came home, changed my clothes and went back out to the barn," Mr. Frennier recalled Thursday.

"I could see manure coming out of the front door, and we never use that door, so I started to wonder … I took a step into the barn and saw that they were gone.

"You can see where someone literally skidded them out."

A neighbor reported seeing two trucks with cattle trailers ascend the couple's winding driveway and then speed away about 15 minutes later.

"She was grilling and noticed because they (the trucks) came out really fast" as they barreled onto Route 11 and headed west.

He said the neighbor didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary at first because last week several trucks and trailers left the property with heifers being shown at the Clinton County Fair.

Five of the missing heifers had been shown by the Frenniers at the fair as their better animals.

"They were all from our best show cows."

Oddly, the thieves left behind three others, "two tiny babies and an off-colored one," Mr. Frennier said.

He was surprised by the timing of the theft, noting that no one knew of his appointment, as it was just scheduled that afternoon.

The missing cattle, which range in age from about 6 months to 1 year, have an estimated value of $15,000.

A number of older cows were outside at the time and were not taken.

State Police said Thursday that they are investigating the thefts.

The missing heifers have unique tattooed markings inside their ears, though authorities are not releasing details of those at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Plattsburgh State Police barracks at 563-3761.

For Mr. Frennier, who has farmed for more than 30 years, the brazen theft was a disappointment.

"I just want someone to answer for it, and I want the animals back. I don't give a hoot about the money."