Illegal grazing prompts feds to seize horses

RENO -- Federal agents have confiscated 200 horses from an American Indian and his son who they say were grazing the animals without a permit near the Nevada-Oregon line.

The Bureau of Land Management's roundup of the privately owned horses near a reservation at McDermitt on Thursday followed Monday's similar impoundment of 123 cattle near Winnemucca. The agency set a tentative Feb. 1 date to auction off some of the cattle.

Agency officials say Leonard Crutchers and his son, Larry, ignored warnings for years to remove their horses from federal land.

This week's court-ordered actions marked the first time in five years that the federal agency has flexed its enforcement muscle against ranchers who refuse to obtain grazing permits and pay fees for use of federal rangeland.

The Crutchers, who also face the prospect of seeing their horses auctioned off if they fail to pay past fines, said they didn't know how they would proceed.