Seven cows stolen from Illinois herd

CHICAGO, March 18 (UPI) -- A farmer near a southern Chicago suburb said a modern-day cattle rustler made off with seven of his 64 Angus cows.

John Wieggel, 63, said he hadn't had a cow disappear in 20 years before the seven were recently taken from the farm his grandfather started near Beecher, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

"I was always thinking of putting security cameras out there," Wieggel said. "If I wasn't crazy I'd probably just say, 'To hell with it' and quit."

Wieggel said the 750-pound cows, each worth $1,000, are unmarked. Police said they have no suspects in the case.

Will County Farm Bureau Director Mark Schneidewind said cattle thefts are rare in the county, which has about 75 cattle-raising families.

"Unfortunately you hear or see this when you start to see some tough economic times," he said.