Two men arrested for cattle rustling in Polk County, may be linked to other cases in area

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Polk County detectives rounded up two men they believe stole a rancher's cattle back in December.

Yoinel DeVera-Guiterrez and Andres Trujillo, who already served time for cattle left in other parts of the state, are now accused of rustling cattle in Polk County.

One morning in December, Harvey Davis of Auburndale arrived at his pasture and discovered seven of his best cows were missing.

About a month has gone by, but Davis is still about as frustrated as he was then.

"Professional cattle thieves," he said. "That's all they are."

Davis takes some solace in learning the news that Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced this morning.

"I'm pleased to tell you some agriculture detectives rounded up some cattle rustlers," Judd told reporters. "They are cattle rustlers in the truest sense of the word."

Investigators say after the two men made one crucial mistake after rounding up the cattle from Davis' pasture: They ran a red light when they raced away.

"Isn't it strange that one of the oldest professions -- illegal professions -- was stopped by one of the most modern tools: a red light traffic camera," Judd said.

Deputies say the next day, the thieves went straight to an auction and sold the cattle for almost $4,000. The victim will likely never see the money again.

"It'll take me years to recover," Davis said.

Despite his loss, he's still satisfied with the arrest knowing that other cattle farmers won't fall victim to these cattle rustlers.