7/1/2009 11:07:00 AM Auction barn owner arrested for alleged cattle theft
A 52-year-old Pierz, Minnesota man has been charged with Aggravated Grand Theft after almost 200 head of cattle were stolen from a Watertown, South Dakota auction barn earlier this year. Joe Varner was arrested Tuesday, June 23, 2009 and taken to the Ottertail County, Minnesota Detention Center. Varner was released after posting $100,000 bond. The cattle were under the control of the US Bankruptcy Court, pending sale at Watertown Livestock. The charge is a class 3 felony which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in the state penitentiary and a $30,000 fine.
Varner is co-owner of Watertown Livestock and other auction markets in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. Earlier this month, Varner hosted the World Livestock Auctioneer Championships at his Fergus Falls, MN, facility.
