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Local police track down horse thief
By Peggy Blackburn
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In the Old West, stealing horses was a hanging offense -- a crime that warranted the gathering of a grim posse to set out in hot pursuit of the culprit.
Today, the penalty is much less severe than a lynching from the nearest cottonwood tree; and the pursuers aren’t mounted on horseback to track the accused through scrub land and desert. But law enforcement is just as serious about tracking down horse thieves and kidnapped animals as they were a century or more ago.
This past week, officers of the Wetumpka Police Department -- in cooperation with other agencies -- recovered the last of four horses stolen from Edwards Quarter Horses in May 2007.
“We located the last horse, a registered paint, just south of Houston, in Brazoria County, Texas,” said Lt. Gary Edwards of the Wetumpka PD. “The horse was dropped off at a ranch there, and the ranch owner didn’t know it was stolen.
“We went out there and interviewed some people, and the owners traveled to Texas and got the last horse,” he said.
Edwards explained that the horses were located and a suspect identified through the use of modern technology.
“We worked with the owners of the horses and looked at some text messages sent on cell phones,” he said.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Steven Petrosky III. Petrosky is a Texas native.
“We think he’s now in California,” said Edwards.
He noted that the search was carried out with the help of Capt. Skylar Hearn and Capt. Joe Haralson of the Texas Rangers, members of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshal Scott Sides of Montgomery.
In addition to the theft of the four horses, other items were stolen; and charges also include fraud and forgery of checks.
“The total is about $70,000,” said Edwards.
