WILLMAR  — A rural Montevideo man has been charged with rustling a herd of Holstein steers from a western Minnesota feedlot and selling them as his own cattle.

Richard Kenneth Nelson, 40, was arrested Tuesday and made his first court appearance Thursday. He was freed after posting a $20,000 bond.

The complaint says a Madison feedlot reported 26 missing head with a market value of over $40,000. The owner did not have insurance.

Authorities allege that Nelson admitted to selling the steers at livestock markets in Benson and Pipestone.