Saturday, December 7, 2002

Second pair of horses stolen in a week

Latest are Tennessee walkers taken from Warren County farm

By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

WAYNE TOWNSHIP - For the second time in a week, police are investigating the theft of two horses from a family farm in Greater Cincinnati.

The horses, Blackjack and Midnight, were taken from their corral overnight Thursday or early Friday morning in rural Warren County.

Capt. John Newsom, public information officer for the Warren County Sheriff's Office, said investigators are aware of the disappearance of two horses Thanksgiving night in Clermont County.

The two horses in Wayne Township, both Tennessee walkers, were in their corral at 10190 New Burlington Road near Waynesville when they disappeared. There was no sign of forced entry, Capt. Newsom said.

The first horse, Blackjack, is a 4-year-old gelding that stands 14.1 hands high (about 56 inches), is black and white and has three teardrop-shaped markings on the left side of his neck. He also has a white "w" on his left hindquarter and all four of his legs are white to his knees.

The second horse, Midnight, is a 14-year-old gelding that stands 14.3 hands high and is black with a mark on his forehead.

Efforts to reach the owners of the horses Friday were unsuccessful. Police did not release their names.

Anyone with information about the thefts can call the Warren County Sheriff's Office at (513) 695-1289.

Last week, Goshen Township police in Clermont County began investigating the theft of two horses from a farm near Loveland late Thanksgiving Day or early the next morning.

In that case, two horses were with a third horse in a pasture on Dickens Hill Drive. The next morning, three gates were open, and two horses, Princess and Rainbow, were missing. The third horse was left behind.

The horses' owners, the Waechters, are offering a reward for their return. Anyone with information about the thefts can call 583-9862, 677-8952 or 284-1519.

The Clermont County Sheriff's Office has investigated only a couple of horse thefts in the last 20 years, said Lt. Robert Evans. And the Warren County Sheriff's Office hasn't had a horse theft in six months.