The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced Wednesday that it had arrested a Weslaco woman accused of stealing three head of registered Beefmaster cattle.
In a news release, the association said that special rangers arrested Ashley Lopez and charged her with theft of livestock.
The agency identified Lopez’s last name as Ruiz, but Hidalgo County jail records indicate her true name is Lopez.
She was arrested Aug. 29.
The investigation, which was led by special Ranger Joe Aguilar, began after a ranch owner reported the theft.
“He immediately began by canvassing the area and reviewing the video footage provided by the victim,” the release stated.
The footage showed Lopez and several others forcefully entering the property and loading a trailer with cattle, according to the release.
“(Lopez) was then detained and questioned, where she confessed to stealing and selling the cattle,” the release stated. “She cooperated with the investigation and led investigators to the location of the stolen cattle.”
The cattle were recovered and returned to the owner.
Lopez remains jailed at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, according to county jail records.
