COPIAH COUNTY, Miss. (KTVE/KARD) — On September 21, 2022, agents with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture arrested a Mississippi man in Copiah County. An investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission led to the arrest based on a warrant issued by LaSalle Parish, LA.
John Colter Pyron, 34, of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, was arrested in Copiah County for Theft of Livestock. It was announced on September 22, 2022 that Pyron had waived his extradition to Louisiana. It has not yet been decided what the bond will be.
In December 2021, Pyron agreed to sell a horse for a set price after receiving the horse from the owner. Following the investigation, it was discovered that Pyron had neglected to sell the horse at the set price, and the owner requested the horse be returned.
Results of the investigation revealed that Pyron failed to return the horse to its owner, and the owner was never paid the predetermined set price. Purchasing livestock and failing to pay for it is a violation of R.S.14:67.1 (Theft of Livestock). A similar complaint in another parish led to Pyron’s arrest by the Livestock Brand Commission earlier this year
“We are seeing more and more violations and complaints of this nature,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “People are turning to the power of the internet to help sell their livestock but are finding themselves the victim of untrustworthy sellers. Louisiana law is specific when dealing with the purchase of livestock and protects livestock owners from persons not complying with proper payment, even when it comes to internet sales. I encourage anyone trying to sell their livestock through a third party online to get multiple references before entrusting them with your animals.”