Owners of Houston rodeo steers that got loose on I-45 say they're still missing one

BONHAM, Texas (KTRK) -- The saga regarding the wayward steers stranded along portions of I-45 North on Monday has taken another twist. ABC13 has learned from the owners of the steers that one remains missing.

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The Kueckelhan family in Bonham, a town just 15 minutes south of the Texas-Oklahoma border, confirmed the cattle caught on camera belonged to them. They had leased 55 to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but only 54 made it back to their ranch. They give credit to the Harris County Sheriff's Department's Livestock division for helping rein in most of the steers.

"I was one of the ones that got the animals on the roadway that was trapped between the barriers," recalled Sgt. Warren Conner, one of two dedicated Livestock deputies in the Harris County Sheriff's Dept.

Conner gets calls every day about stray animals, in part because state law puts County Sheriffs at the forefront of livestock apprehension. They are the only law enforcement agency actually allowed to house the stray livestock.

"We do the whole city of Houston, all the little cities, like Baytown, Katy, Tomball," Conner said. "Everybody, if they have a loose horse, we are the only ones allowed to pick up a goat, ram, emu, peacock, llama."

At the Harris County barn, there are currently several horses, a calf, and a goat waiting for their owners to pick them up. If the livestock is not picked up within 18 days, they are taken to auction. The funds go to the Harris County general fund.

Conner says horses, peacocks, and exotic animals like emus are popular at auctions. He says pigs are hard to auction off, and their division are not responsible for chickens.

"I love it, best job I had with the county," Conner, who only got a few calls a day after the steers caused so much commotion, said.

Conner says the Sheriff's Dept. keeps a voluntary book of livestock owners, their livestock, and locations. That way, if a horse or a cow gets past a fence or gate, deputies can quickly return the livestock to the owners.

If you would like your livestock location added to the Sheriff's Livestock Division, you can call them at 832-927-2969.

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