Suspect kills, guts cow

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Someone killed and gutted a cow and then stole the carcass from a Gold Hill residence last week.
Rickey Swaringen told Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies a neighbor alerted him about gunshots and said they heard a cow bellowing from his father’s property at 625 Wyatt Grove Church Road. The property belongs to Marshall Lewis Swaringen, who is also a longtime bail bondsman.
The incident happened about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
The cow was valued at $800.
There was no sign of forced entry to the farm, said Sheriff’s Capt. John Sifford.