DNA evidence brands rancher a cattle thief
February 2, 2004
"A 57-year-old rancher in Tulare County is about to begin serving a year in jail and five years' probation for cattle rustling -- a crime with rustic roots, solved for the first time in California with cutting-edge technology.
DNA from calves on Jerry Baker's Woodlake ranch, analyzed at the University of California at Davis, showed that his herd had been mating with cattle from five neighboring ranches.
The DNA evidence along with the age of the calves helped convince a jury the neighbors' cattle had been on Baker's property long enough for him to realize that they were not his. He was convicted last month on 11 counts involving theft, forging documents and altering cattle brands."
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