HENDRY COUNTY, Fla — There was a group of runaways caught in Hendry County! But not the type you’d expect - the sheriff says a herd of cows escaped and were roaming the streets in the Pioneer Plantation community.
Fox 4's Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski covers this area every day, so he went out when he heard about it - here's what happened.
Watch what a neighbor told Austin:
Deputies say they captured 11 mixed-breed cows near Lakeview Avenue and Pioneer 16th Street. They rounded them up and brought them to the sheriff's office impound lot.
But the real question - who owns them? A neighbor told me off-camera that if these cows were branded or tagged, the sheriff's office would’ve found their owner by now. He says this happens every so often around here, and he doesn’t think anyone will come forward - either out of fear they’ll be charged or simply not wanting to pay the retrieval costs.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who can claim ownership to call them. Under Florida law, if the cows aren’t claimed within three days, they could become county property.
For now, the cows are stuck in a different kind of holding pen - one with a badge watching over them.
