A Larimer County man accused of shooting and killing his neighbors’ cattle while driving around on a personal, off-road vehicle in April took a deal and pleaded guilty last week, according to court records.
Michael Hester, 37, pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of aggravated animal cruelty and three counts of animal theft — all felonies — as part of a deal, court records show. The plea deal dropped 12 additional charges of aggravated animal cruelty, animal theft, shooting from a public road and felony trespassing from Hester’s case.
Hester could face two to six years in prison and fines of up to $500,000 on each charge.
The 37-year-old was arrested in April after several of his neighbors filed police reports claiming he shot at their cattle while driving a utility terrain vehicle, also known as a side-by-side.
Deputies with search warrants found seven dead cattle belonging to two neighbors, along with a critically injured eighth cow that had to be euthanized.
Under Colorado’s “Open Range Law,” livestock owners are allowed to graze animals without containment.
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“In Colorado, livestock owners are not required to fence their livestock in,” according to the state agriculture department. “Instead, if landowners want to keep livestock off their property, they must fence the livestock out.”
Hester is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 31, 2025, for a sentencing hearing, according to court records.
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