Belleville police spends hours corralling cattle that kept escaping onto highway

According to Belleville police, officers spent the better part of five hours overnight between Monday and Tuesday trying to move cattle that kept sneaking on to Highway 2.

Belleville police say that from July 9 and into the early hours of July 10, they received numerous complaints of cattle roaming near the intersection of Mitchell Road and Highway 2, nearly causing collisions.

At first, police say they were able to steer the livestock back into the fields they were believed to have escaped from, only to see the cattle roaming back onto the road. Police say they later discovered a broken fence, which was allowing the cows to get back on the highway.

Police say they were initially unable to contact the person responsible for the animals, so they called for the assistance of Belleville Public Works, who helped them construct a makeshift barrier using 20 feet of snow fence and metal posts.

The animals were then safely contained to the field, and police eventually made contact with the owner of the cattle.  An investigation is underway, but no charges have been laid.