Dustin Gleason, 22, and Jarrod Edwards, 21, are both due in court in February, charged with felony theft of agricultural animals and felony wrongful branding. The theft charge is punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine up to $500,000, and the wrongful branding charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
San Miguel County authorities began investigating after rancher Jim Kornberg noticed some animals missing from his Dallas Divide Ranch. Among the missing animals were nine pregnant black Angus and an unweaned calf, along with 11 other calves.
Five of the animals were traced to Kansas, and five others were found in a Montrose County pasture.
''It's my understanding there's not been a rustling case of this magnitude in this county for decades,'' said Kornberg, who runs cattle on the ranch with Gerald DeJulio of Montrose.
