ATHENS, Tenn. – Two men and one woman were arrested on Dec. 7 after five cattle were stolen from a farm near  Englewood, Tenn.

McMinn County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) detectives said one of the suspects left a trail of theft two months earlier, which led to his arrest. On Oct. 10, MCSO investigated reports of a stolen Kubota tractor from near Englewood. Detectives determined that the tractor had been taken to Bristol and then to Hiwassee, Ga., a few days later. Gary Hill, of Sweetwater, was announced as a suspect in the case, according to MCSO.

Hill was also a suspect in the theft of five Angus cows.

The cattle were taken from McConkey Farm late night on Dec. 2. Stan McConkey wasted little time and offered a $1,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the thief’s arrest or recovery of his animals.

McConkey’s video surveillance showed two trailers pulling into the farm and stealing the cattle. Thieves took panels from across the road to create a makeshift corral.

“I lost three and my son lost two,” McConkey said.

The McConkey farm has been a family business for generations, and in a span of 30 minutes, they lost thousands of dollars. “In that time they stole approximately $9,000 worth of cows,” Jason McConkey said.

Two of the cows stolen were pregnant, making the loss even greater.

Luckily, McConkey’s farm was well-equipped with surveillance cameras, catching the culprits in action. The cameras were useful in identifying the vehicles used in the heist.

On Dec. 4, deputies quickly responded to the report of the theft. During the investigation, Hill was identified as a suspect. Thomas ‘Dewayne’ Pressley, of Meigs County, was also identified as a suspect, as was Donna Vaughn, of Athens, Tenn.

“Our detectives, along with State Ag Crimes investigator Clint Brookshire, found Mr. Dewayne Pressley and Ms. Donna Vaughn were directly involved in the theft along with Mr. Gary Hill,” MCSO Sheriff Joe Guy said. “The cattle were located in Lincoln County and were returned to the owner. Over the course of the next few days, McMinn County sheriff’s deputies, Sweetwater police and Agent Brookshire worked extensively on the case. Dewayne Pressley and Donna Vaughn, both from Athens, were located in Rural King parking lot in Sweetwater on Dec. 6 and were taken into custody.”

On Dec. 7, MCSO Corp. Caleb Latham was able to negotiate a peaceful surrender with Hill. He was taken into custody and is being held on the following charges:

- Theft over $5,000 for theft of the cattle

- Illegal possession or fraudulent use of a credit/debit card

- Theft of property for theft of horses (Monroe County Sheriff’s Department)

- Theft of property for theft of horses (Loudon County Sheriff’s Department)

- Violation of parole (Blount County Sheriff’s Department)

Pressley and Vaughn are being held on charges of theft over $5,000 for the cattle theft.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Crime Unit (ACU) was key in tracking down the suspects. Brookshire’s investigation led him 130 miles west to Lincoln County, where he identified five cattle purchased by a citizen through a private Craigslist transaction.

ACU law enforcement officers are charged with investigating and enforcing state laws related to the agriculture community. “The cattle were recovered and returned, and ACU recovered a portion of the money from the fraudulent sale for the buyer. The buyer is not believed to be involved in the theft,” the ACU said.