Cows help cops nab North Carolina crook

North Carolina police are thanking a herd of cows for aiding in the apprehension of a man who led officers on a chase, then tried to hide in a Boone, N.C., pasture.

The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Joshua Russell Minton, fled Boone Police Officers during a traffic stop, police said on Facebook Thursday night. Because of the suspect’s “fast and reckless driving,” pursuing officers were unable to see where Minton ran after he ditched the vehicle he was driving near U.S. Route 421.

“As officers began to search the area, they received some unexpected, but welcomed assistance from some local cows,” the police continued. The cattle reportedly guided offers “directly to where the suspect was hiding.”

The experience apparently caused northeast North Carolina police to ponder how bovine units might measure up to canine units. “Honestly, it is something that we have not considered before now,” cops claimed.

They wondered if cows are one-trick ponies when it comes to apprehending people who break the law or if they’re “adaptable” to a variety of assignments outside finding a hiding suspect. Police asked online if putting cows on the force would be cost effective, among expressing other concerns.

“Obviously there are methane issues?” police wondered.

[ Cows surround suspect, end police car chase in rural Wisconsin ]

The suspect, whose driver’s license had allegedly been revoked, was charged with a felony fleeing count and disorderly conduct.

“We may be a small town; but we are a progressive, forward-thinking law enforcement agency,” Boone police said. “For rural law enforcement, we want to be the tip of the spear.”

Boone is home to nearly 20,000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was named to honor frontiersman Daniel Boone, who lived in the Tar Heel State for more than 20 years, according to the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail.