An Oklahoma man and a juvenile have been arrested following a month-long investigation into the killing of more than a dozen cattle that belong to the monks at a Shawnee, Okla., monastery.
The Daily Oklahoman reports Christopher Wallace, 18, was charged with four complaints of cruelty to animals and two counts of larceny of livestock, according to the Shawnee Police department. A police spokesperson said the case involving the juvenile was sent to a government agency that deals with juvenile offenders.
The cattle were allegedly killed with a crossbow and officials believe the motive was thrill-seeking rather than for the animal’s meat.
The Rev. Simeon Spitz, a Catholic priest and monk at St. Gregory’s Abbey, told the Daily Oklahoman about 14 cattle on abbey property were killed, costing the Benedictine monastery about $35,000. He said the cattle were killed with a cross bow and included female calves, which the abbey would have saved for their herd, and bull calves, which would either have been sold or raised for beef sold as part of the abbey’s Mission Monks label at its Monk’s Marketplace.
Shawnee police said they received the first report about the cattle on June 22 and another report about midnight July 22 when a monastery worker saw flashlights in a field and found a cross bow near a tree. At that time the police made contact with Wallace and the juvenile and they were detained and interviewed at that time.
Shawnee is in Pottawatomie County and is approximately 45 minutes east of downtown Oklahoma City.
The monastery is accepting donations to help recover some of the financial losses from the incidents. Donations can be made here:
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E354537&id=62
