JACKSON COUNTY - Sheriff's Department investigators are continuing to unravel the motives and actions of those involved in a rash of burglaries and cattle thefts in the county and at least two young area men are jailed following questioning by law enforcement officials.

Nathan Bradley Roberson, 24, of 1905 Willard in Altus, is jailed on a bond of $25,000, charged with larceny of domestic animals in the theft and sale of nine Black Angus cattle.

Meanwhile, Clayton Buck Stephens, 23, of 315 E. 6th. St. in Duke, is charged with second degree burglary in a recent incident in which he and a couple accomplices allegedly attempted to break into a barn. Stephens is under a $35,000 personal recognizance bond and has entered treatment at Cushing Valley Hope in Cushing.

Both men are to appear Oct. 25 for a preliminary hearing conference.

According to affidavits for arrest filed in District Court, on Sept. 29, Roberson was read his Miranda rights by Sheriff's Investigator Carlton Grimes and agreed to discuss the sale of nine Black Angus cattle he'd allegedly stolen from Cody Glynn Cribbs at a pasture located a mile south and a mile west of the intersection of East County Road 164 and South County Road 196.

On Sept. 27 Cribbs reported that he had been the victim of the theft of the heifers and steers, whose average weight was 400 pounds and whose value was placed at some $5,800.

Grimes had, in fact, contacted the Hollis Commission Inc. and verified that the cattle had been sold Sept. 15 at the livestock auction in Roberson's name for $4,697.70. Roberson's address was given as 15948 state Highway 34 in Duke.

When asked about the theft, Roberson said he sold the cattle as a favor to his ex-brother-in-law.

In Buck's case, according to the affidavit, District III Drug Task Force Director Bob Carder and Sheriff's Deputy Johnathon Foster interviewed Buck at the Sheriff's Department on Sept. 8 and asked him about an incident in which he and another man allegedly broke into D & M Accessories south of Altus on U.S. Highway 283, broke into the garage and stole some hand tools as well as 15 to 20 old radiators.

Buck also related an incident that occurred in the early morning of Sept. 26 in which, he said, he met with two other individuals in a separate vehicle at around 2:15 a.m. at the Snyder-Frederick overpass then proceeded to Ronny Clark's property at 16389 South County Road 217, where they looked into the barn. Clark's dog started barking and Clark fired a shot into the air to get the two men to stop running.

In the ensuing flight, Buck and the others left behind a pair of bolt cutters and tools.

Further information on these incidents was not available by press time.