Punishment doled out to duo who fatally shot pregnant cow
TEXARKANA, Texas — Two men responsible for fatally shooting a Bowie County rancher’s pregnant cow last year were ordered Monday to pay thousands of dollars in restitution and sentenced to terms of probation.
Jedidiah Timothy Tadlock, 29, and Hunter Alexander Sinyard, 22, were “drinking heavily” and “driving backroads” when they came upon the cow discovered dead Sept. 20, 2019, by its owner, according to a probable cause affidavit. Both men appeared before 5th District Judge Bill Miller for sentencing Monday. Both were represented by Texarkana lawyer Darren Anderson.
As part of a plea agreement, Tadlock and Sinyard were sentenced to 10-year terms of deferred adjudication probation. A defendant who successfully completes a term of deferred adjudication probation does not have a final felony conviction on their record.
Both men were assessed a $1,000 fine. They must jointly pay $5,000 in restitution to the cow’s owner. If one of the men fails to pay his share of the restitution, both are liable for the full amount, Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter said.
The men confessed to the crime after being confronted by Texas Game and Fish wardens and a Special Ranger with the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association commissioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The cow was found by her owner in a ditch along County Road 2302 with gunshot wounds to her head, neck and torso. Two .45 caliber shell casings, a pair of jumper cables with broken ends, an empty can of light beer and a man’s watch were found near the deceased bovine.
Within days of the shooting of the pregnant cow, local game wardens began receiving tips through the “Operation Game Thief” tip line that Sinyard had spoken of shooting the livestock. Game wardens reviewed the rancher’s security camera footage and identified a late model four-door pickup in the area at 3:40 a.m. and 4:22 a.m. on the same day the rancher discovered the cow’s remains.
When the investigators went Sept. 27 to interview Sinyard at his home in Texarkana, they noticed a white four-door Chevy truck in the driveway. Sinyard admitted that he and Tadlock had used his .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol to shoot the pregnant cow while “drinking heavily” and “driving backroads.”
“Hunter Sinyard stated they both shot the cow several times, emptying one magazine and changing to another magazine,” the affidavit states. “Hunter Sinyard stated that after killing the cow, they attempted to drag it into the road with a pair of jumper cables, but the cables broke. Hunter stated that he gave the pistol to Tadlock after shooting the cow because he was scared and did not want the pistol anymore.”
While in the presence of game wardens and the special ranger, Sinyard called Tadlock and told him that he had told “everything” to law enforcement. Tadlock agreed to meet a game warden the night of Sept. 27 in the parking lot of the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston and turn over Sinyard’s pistol. Tadlock gave a videotaped interview confirming Sinyard’s account and during which he said the man’s watch found near the cow was his.