PORT ST. LUCIE — The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a 2-year-old American Paint Horse believed to have been stolen from its owner’s pasture in Port St. Lucie.
The horse, named Strait from Above, was last seen Aug. 2 at about 3 p.m. near 12801 Williams Road, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The horse is a black and white Tovero stallion with a white forelock and mane, black and white tail hair, and a pinto coat with black and white spots. He was foaled May 18, 2024, and is registered under number 01206069.
Deputies are asking residents, property owners, horse enthusiasts and members of the agricultural community to check the horse’s description against any animals they’ve seen or been offered.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 772-462-7300 or email PatrolTips@stluciesheriff.com.
History of horse thieves
It would not be the first time horses have gone missing from the area.
There were a string of horse thefts in St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties around November 2024. Former St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said at the time he believed the animals may have been stolen for slaughter, citing a black market for horse meat.
That case led an animal welfare group to offer a $25,000 reward for information.
In Florida, stealing a horse is charged as Grand Theft of the Third Degree, a third-degree felony.
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: St. Lucie deputies search for stolen 2-year-old Paint Horse
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
