Thieves at larges destroy Warren Co. barn; barn caretaker ‘heartbroken’

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The price of just about everything is on the rise, including lumber. Some people so desperate for the material are targeting barns and prying the wooden panels off, one by one.

“It was just destruction everywhere… We didn’t know what to think. We didn’t know what to say. We were heartbroken.”

A nightmare. That what describes the scene at 2133 Hays Lodge Road that Jessica Bratcher and her family returned to over the weekend. The Warren County barn they’ve taken care of for years was destroyed. The 14 horses inside were free from barriers.

“The whole front of the barn was completely taken apart,” described Bratcher. “The locks were cut…A couple of the gates where you can go in were completely gone.”

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office says this crime was absolutely no impulse decision.

Sheriff Brett Hightower explained, “There’s a lot of thought that goes into this. Probably somebody  went by there and there and started scoping out that particular location, either that day or a few days before getting the game plan to get a trailer, getting a vehicle that they could they could remove it with, the tools to do such.”

Hightower says it’s a crime they’ve seen before.

“Two years ago, there was a significant trend, and it was happening not only in Warren County but adjoining counties.”

Bratcher added, “We had started talking to a couple people they said that they’ve actually had that same, issue except it wasn’t to this degree.”

But why did the criminals go to such drastic leads?

Hightower said, “There’s a market for that type of wood particular people that are working in antique wood… [With] Today’s prices of lumber, trying to go out there and replace this type of material is going to be rather costly.”

Bratcher leaves the criminals with this food for thought.

“This is someone’s property. I mean, someone has worked their butt off to have what they have and someone thinks it’s okay to come in and take that away. It’s not.”

If you have any information that can help the sheriff’s, give them a call at (270) 842-1633.