Suspect arrested in case involving stolen horse that was beaten to death in Brookshire

Brookshire police arrested a man who allegedly stole a horse, road it to the point of exhaustion and then beat it to death when it did not get back up. Brookshire police arrested a man who allegedly stole a horse, road it to the point of exhaustion and then beat it to death when it did not get back up. Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Suspect arrested in case involving stolen horse that was beaten to death in Brookshire 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: Traveon Marques Hillsman, the suspect sought in the alleged theft and beating of a horse, has been taken into custody, Brookshire police said in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.

Authorities said Hillsman was "located in a residence in Austin County and was taken into custody," with assistance by Wallis police.

Original story continues below.

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The Brookshire Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a man who allegedly stole a horse, ran it to the point of exhaustion and then beat it when it would not move.

Authorities said that at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, multiple witnesses saw suspect Traveon Marques Hillsman beating a horse near the intersection of I-10 and FM 359.

One witness, Cody LeBlanc, stated that he observed a black male striking a horse while screaming obscenities at it and threatening to kill it if it didn’t move. The suspect beat the horse with a lead rope and punched it in the face and mouth. “He kept whipping and punching the horse harder and harder, so I yelled at him to not treat the horse that way,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc called the police and then tried to intervene directly, but the suspect threatened him, so LeBlanc waited for authorities to arrive. The suspect fled when police arrived. “He took off running behind a house into the woods, and (police) lost him,” LeBlanc explained. “I went with them to help look for the guy with the lights in front of my truck but could not find him.”

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LeBlanc said the police and he tried to save the animal, but it died shortly after police arrived. A news release from the police department stated that responding officers observed a mare “extremely exhausted, dripping in sweat and shaking uncontrollably”.

LeBlanc stayed with the horse as her condition worsened and waited beside her dead body until her owners arrived. “This poor mare was rode so hard. She had an unbelievable amount of steam rolling off of her body. She then got colic and suffered until she passed about 15 to 20 minutes later,” he described. When the owner arrived, LeBlanc helped move the body onto the owner’s trailer.

Authorities believe the suspect rode the horse for several hours without stopping. Four hours prior, another witness, Tammy Livingston, was working at Salons of Fulshear when she observed a black male riding his horse through the parking lot at approximately 3 p.m. He returned to the parking lot a while later. “He was trotting the horse everywhere,” said Livingston. According to Livingston, the horse appeared to be in distress. “The horse was trying to be obedient. He kept kicking her and kicking her to keep her going.”

The Brookshire police have issued four warrants for Hillsman’s arrest including one count of felony cruelty to livestock, one count of felony theft of livestock, one count of felony burglary of a building and one count of misdemeanor evading arrest.

Hillsman is described as a 21-year-old black male with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. The Brookshire Police Department is asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact their office at (281) 375-5000.

claire.goodman@chron.com