Kay County District 1 Commissioner Shane Douglas Jones is scheduled for a plea docket on Jan. 11, 2027, High Plains Journal reported, citing KFOR-TV: High Plains Journal.
The case began with an indictment by the Twenty First Multi-County Grand Jury, after which the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office filed charges, Kay County News & Cow Country reported. Jones turned himself in and was booked at the Kay County Detention Center on July 29, 2025, at 10:56 a.m. He was released on $10,000 bond.
The indictment charges Jones with one count of larceny of livestock and nine counts of branding with intent to defraud. It alleges he took nine cows belonging to rancher Jeff Schieber and branded them. Investigators say the alleged conduct occurred while Jones was hired to transport livestock for Newkirk Sale Barn between Jan. 1 and Feb. 12, 2025, according to High Plains Journal and Kay County News & Cow Country.
How brands can establish ownership
According to the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, registered brands are prima facie evidence of ownership in court, although state registration is not required by law.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement that livestock theft harms the state’s agricultural industry and that the office would pursue such cases regardless of a defendant’s position, High Plains Journal reported. The outlet reported that a conviction on the larceny count could bring three to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Each branding count carries a potential three-to-10-year prison term or a fine of $500 to $1,000.
