A Missouri State Highway Patrol news release says the two men are accused of stealing 48 head of cattle between May and September. Defense attorneys for both defendants say their clients will voluntarily appear in court, in an agreement with the prosecutor. (Because of that agreement, no warrants for their arrests were issued, as reported earlier.)

The Highway Patrol said in a news release that the charges came after an investigation by Missouri’s Livestock and Farm Protection Task Force. The estimated value of the stolen livestock is about $27,000.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol recently received a $3.4 million federal grant to establish a Rural Crimes Task Force. The grant will fund 10 criminal investigators, two criminal analysts, a part-time administrator, and overtime for local police agencies that partner with the Patrol to fight crimes in rural areas. Those resources will help the Livestock and Farm Protection Task Force, which Gov. Jay Nixon expanded last month because of an increasing number of crimes being committed against farmers and their property.