Man gets 20 years for cattle rustling

Williamson County does not take cattle rustling lightly. Judge Ken Anderson sentenced Monte Sharp, who admitted stealing more than 1,000 cattle from a local broker, to 20 years in prison Monday. It is the largest cattle rustling case in Williamson County history, District Attorney John Bradley said. "The surprising sentence of 20 years in prison should put all thieves on alert, particularly during the upcoming holiday season, that stealing is not tolerated in Williamson County," he said. Sharp was charged after he never paid the $700,000 he owed after ordering 1,061 head of cattle in 2005 from Jim Schwertner, the owner of Capitol Land & Livestock Co. "Ranchers don't take kindly to folks stealing their cattle, especially in Williamson County," Schwertner said. "We've been in business since 1946, and this has never happened to us before."...read more