Man accused of stealing more than 80 head of cattle jailed on $4.25 million bond

Bond has soared to $4.25 million for a Texas man accused of stealing more than 80 head of cattle and failing to deliver on an agreement to manage more than 1,000 head of cattle.

William “Willie” Rittenbaugh, 47, of Mount Calm, Texas, was in the Hill County Jail in Hillsboro, Texas, on Jan. 29. Mount Calm is about 20 miles northeast of Waco.

Rittenbaugh faces five separate felony charges as a result of an investigation by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

Initially, Rittenbaugh was charged with stealing 11 head of cattle from a Hill County rancher in May after the cattle were found in his possession. They were returned to the owner.

He was arrested again last month and accused of stealing 72 head of cattle from another Hill County rancher, the cattle raisers association said in a news release on Jan. 29.

Rittenbaugh also is accused of failing to deliver on an agreement he made to manage more than 1,000 head of cattle and split the profits from their sale.

That led to Rittenbaugh being charged with misapplication of fiduciary property, the news release said. He’s also been charged with other cases of misapplication of fiduciary property.

In the last few months, Rittenbaugh also has been charged with theft of livestock and accused of stealing a horse in Limestone County.