BELLVILLE — In a joint operation conducted by the Bellville Police Department, Austin County Sheriff's Office and the Austin County District Attor- ney's office, a suspect was arrest ed on Jan. 11, involving a criminal ring that purchased expensive racehorse feed fraudulently.
Alina Barlarmino Medina Ricardo, 38, of Cleveland, was arrested without incident and booked into the Austin County Jail with a bond of $100,000.
Ricardo was the driver of the 18-wheeler used to haul the fraudulently obtained feed. The 18-wheeler was also seized as part of the operation.
According to Bellville Police Chief Jason Smalley, the initial investigation led back to October 2024, when the suspects stole over $2,000 of horse feed from Linseisen’s in Bellville us- ing fraudulent identifications and credit cards.
The suspects attempted to steal again $24,000 of racehorse feed, but a trap laid by law enforcement nabbed the driver and truck on Jan. 11.
Smalley said he was “very pleased with Linseisen’s and local agencies working together in a combined effort that resulted in a positive outcome.
Linseisen’s Feed is a great family-owned and operated business with over 50 years of service to our community. Smalley stated, “A trap was set, the bad guy took the bait and he was caught.”
Smalley included that the investigation is ongoing and hopefully leads to more arrests.
