Jared Meister of Rising City received a sentence of two years of probation and an order to pay $5,000 in restitution for stealing a rare blonde bison from a Custer County hunting lodge, Hoodline reported.
The bull belonged to Mitch and Roxanne Huggins, who own Comstock Premier Lodge near Sargent. Other local accounts have described the animal as a rare white bison, according to Hoodline.
The criminal case initially advanced under a heavier charge. An arrest warrant filed against Meister alleged theft by unlawful taking of more than $5,000, which ranks as a Class IIA felony under state statutes, Sandhills Express reported. Meister initially entered a plea of not guilty before the court granted a continuance and scheduled a jury trial for February 9, 2026.
The stolen bull possessed distinct genetic traits, passing its blonde coloring to roughly half of its calves while siring an average of 13 calves per year, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Lodge owners estimated the animal had six productive breeding years remaining. The Hugginses valued individual blonde calves at $5,000 and standard calves at $1,500.
Estimates regarding the bull’s total market value varied across local reports. Sandhills Express noted the animal was valued at roughly $30,000 for a hunt and approximately $8,000 if sold outright. The owners reported they had been unable to locate the blonde bull since the spring of 2023.
The breakthrough in the investigation came from a taxidermy shop in Schuyler, where a lodge guest spotted a blonde bison bull mount. Meister had brought a bison head and cape to the business in February 2023, KRVN Rural Radio reported.
Investigators compared photographic evidence of the missing animal against the taxidermy mount, noting an anomaly on the right horn that appeared to match.
A Texas A&M University professor evaluated the images and stated in an affidavit that the horn features and uncommon coloration strongly indicated the mount and the missing bull were the same animal, Sandhills Express reported. That assessment relied entirely on photographic comparison rather than definitive physical identification.
Meister maintained to KRVN Rural Radio that he purchased the bull from a South Dakota couple. Property records also indicated the land in question had been leased from Meister’s father.
Alongside the criminal proceedings, the Hugginses initiated a separate civil lawsuit on August 5, 2025, seeking $125,000 in losses stemming from the bull’s death, the World-Herald reported. That civil filing targeted $125,000 for lost calf production alongside $20,000 for a lost hunt, in addition to punitive damages, interest, court costs, and attorney fees.
