Juveniles Arrested For Killing Cows in LaPorte

Two juveniles were taken into custody by LaPorte County Sheriff’s deputies Wednesday after they allegedly shot and killed three cows at a rural LaPorte County farm.

Deputies were called to a farm in the 5100 S. block of County Road 425 West after shots were reportedly fired. Deputies met with a farmer who discovered that three of his cows were killed. He told police that he heard five gunshots and got into his vehicle and found the suspect’s vehicle and wrote down the numbers on the license plate. That information was relayed to police and the vehicle was later located by police.

Sheriff’s detectives were called to the scene and two detained juveniles, aged 17 and 14, were charged with three counts of Killing a Vertebrate Animal as a Class D Felony and three counts of Criminal Recklessness as a Class D Felony. They are being housed in the LaPorte County Juvenile Services Center.

Sheriff Michael Mollenhauer said the senseless killing of the cows falls under “Ben’s Law” which allows a person who knowingly or intentionally kills a domestic animal without the owner’s consent to be charged with a Class D Felony. The legislation was the result of an investigation into the 2008 killing of a Belgian draft horse named Ben in LaPorte County.