Alleged Horse Theft Leads to Arrests

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY –  Special ranger, livestock investigator for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Texas Peace Officer Darrell Bobbitt was contacted by a Nacogdoches woman who had received a phone call from a woman saying he had just bought her horse and wanted to know more about its history. 

The only problem was, the woman had been told by her ex-boyfriend Cory Mikel Lokett of Crockett that the horse had recently escaped and been killed by a train. The woman – who had raised the horse from a colt – asked for pictures of the horse from the new owner and confirmed it was her horse. 

Bobbitt traveled to see the horse and was able to make a positive identification according to information given to him by the victim. The buyer told Bobbitt she had purchased the horse from a black-haired woman (later identified as Ali Fedell) who allegedly told her she would sell her the horse for $3,000. She then drove to the Lokett’s address in Crockett where Lokett allegedly told her he was selling then horse for his ex-girlfriend. 

When Bobbitt confronted Lokett he said he had purchased the horse from his ex-girlfiend for $600 but had no documents or bill of sale of any kind. Bobitt was later able to confirm in messages from Fedell to the buyer Fadell reportedly told her she was selling the horse on behalf of her husband but could not produce any documents at that time since they were locked in a safe. 

After further investigation, the original victim and ex-girlfriend told Bobbitt she never gave Lokett permission to sell the horse, nor sold him the horse at any time. Bobbitt issued arrest warrants for both Lokett and Fedell. His investigation found that since both Lokett and Fedell had used different stories with the buyer and she paid them both the $3,000 for the horse, they were both involved in the situation. 

Lokett and Fedell were charged with a third-degree felony under the State of Texas Agriculture Code. 22-year-old Fedell was arrested Jan. 11 and given a $10,000 bond. As of press time, Fedell was still in custody and had not been magistrated. There was no further word if Lokett had been arrested. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]