Man Indicted in Cattle Theft

CROCKETT � A man described as a professional cattle rustler has been indicted by a Houston County grand jury for third degree felony theft. Jerome Novak was charged with stealing 26 calves late the night of March 14 from the East Texas Livestock Auction in Crockett. Novak was arrested earlier and charged in Brazoria County for allegedly stealing 28 head of cattle from the Nacogdoches Livestock Exchange and a trailer out of Walker County. He�s now in the Brazoria County Jail on $130,000 bond. At the time of his arrest, Novak was on parole after serving time for stealing more than 300 head of cattle in 2006 from multiple victims, including Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.