Last night I received a phone call from Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe informing me that my cattle trailer, which had been stolen in August, had been found across the border in San Luis, Colorado, and that I could go to San Luis and pick it up.

I arrived in the dark at a small farm about 10 miles southeast of San Luis and was met by Taos County Undersheriff Steve Miera and his deputies along with multiple Sheriff’s Deputies from Costilla County in Colorado. Through multi-agency cooperation, the Costilla County Sheriff deputized the Taos County Deputies in order to assist with the investigation.

The Sheriff’s departments were able to obtain a search warrant for this rural property where multiple stolen items were found, including, multiple RVs, pickup trucks, and trailers. There was also an assortment of smaller items present that may also have been stolen, including generators, welding equipment, tools, compressors, and saddles.

Northern Taos County along with Costilla and Conejos Counties in Colorado have been plagued with thefts throughout the summer. Rumors had been circulating that the stolen goods were being taken to San Francisco, a small village near Sanchez Reservoir in Costilla County. The rumors proved to be true as the farm was located near the San Francisco church on County Rd J2.

Deputies spent time identifying the stolen vehicles, contacting the owners with the good news, and requesting they come and pick up their property. Many pickup trucks arrived along with a few tow trucks to begin the process of removing the stolen items.

Deputies on site indicated that they had not yet made any arrests.

Please give your local Deputies a pat on the back next time you see them as we can all now worry a little less about our property being stolen. Thank you, Sheriffs and Deputies, for a job well done.