OFFICIAL RELEASE · ORIGINAL ISSUER HEADLINE
LDAF Investigation Leads to Arrest in St. Landry Parish Livestock Theft Case
The issuing organization did not supply a publication date.
Added to The State & Nation: October 20, 2026
What this means
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. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office on October 11, 2026.
Official release
Source material from Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.
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
(225) 922-1256
presssecretary@ldaf.state.la.us
Release text attributed to Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.
Read the original release
This announcement was published by Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The direct link below opens the official publication.
Read the full official publicationhttps://www.ldaf.la.gov/about/news/article/ldaf-investigation-leads-to-arrest-in-st-landry-parish-livestock-theft-case
Official statements reflect their issuer’s perspective. The State & Nation is an independent aggregator and is not affiliated with the issuing organization.
Browse the release archiveMore coverage from Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry · Report an error · Editorial standards