CLEARWATER COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A Hawley, Minnesota, man has been ordered to pay $248,400 in restitution after pleading guilty to the felony theft of 77 cows under a share cow agreement.
Jason Wayne Langerud, 44, faced two counts of theft in 2023. The investigation began in June 2022 when authorities received a report about the missing cows. Langerud had entered into a share cow agreement in 2018, allowing him to pasture and breed 79 cows on his Clearwater County property. He was supposed to sell the cows and calves, paying the owner 30% of the proceeds by May 31, 2019, and to pay for a 2017 calf crop by May 31, 2018.
However, by the May 2019 deadline, the cattle had disappeared. It was discovered that Langerud had given the cows away to pay off a debt. Only two cattle bearing the victim’s brand remained on Langerud’s property, and the 77 missing cows have not been recovered.
Langerud attempted to issue a check in 2018, but it bounced. His court records reveal a history of financial issues, including a 2017 conviction for issuing a dishonored check to Adkins Equipment in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, for over $19,000 in parts and repairs.
From 2015 to the present, Langerud has been listed as a defendant in 20 cases involving non-payment to various businesses and banks. He was held responsible for the debts in 19 of those cases.
Langerud pleaded guilty to one count of theft in March, with the other count dismissed. Despite the crime carrying a maximum 20-year sentence, he was granted a stay of imposition at his June sentencing, avoiding jail time. Instead, he will be on supervised probation for 10 years, with any violations risking jail or prison time.
Langerud is required to pay $500 per month starting July 15 toward his restitution. If the full amount is not paid by the end of his probation, the remaining debt will be converted to a civil judgment.