Authorities: Man stole calf from school program to pay bill

BUNKER HILL, Ind. (AP) - Authorities say a man stole a 1,095-pound (497-killogram) calf from an educational program that he volunteered with in northern Indiana and sold it to pay a bill.

The Kokomo Tribune reports 47-year-old Todd Burns checked on cattle on weekends for the Maconaquah School Corp.'s Maconaquah Cattle Co. program in Miami County. The newspaper says a teacher told investigators Burns called him Nov. 17 to report that cows had escaped a pen and Burns was rounding them up.

Three days later, the teacher noticed a feeder calf worth more than $800 was missing. Burns allegedly sold the calf. He was arrested Tuesday on a theft charge.

Online court records don't list a defense lawyer.

The educational program allows children to raise cattle that are eventually processed and served for school lunches.

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com