This is such a horrible, horrible story. Via Karen Ocamb:
The Zanesville Times Recorder reported Tuesday that fire marshals in McConnelsville, Ohio believe the fire that destroyed openly gay Brent Whitehouse’s barn, killing all eight of his beloved horses Easter night, was arson. One horse was merely a week old and another was about to give birth. The inferno was so hot it melted a tractor.Seriously, how sick does a person have to be?
Investigators found antigay graffiti spray-painted on the gutted barn and are investigating whether the fire might be a hate crime.
More from today's Zanesville Times Recorder:
Brent Whitehouse hopes a reward of up to $5,000 offered by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee will help find the person responsible for setting a fire that killed his horses and destroyed his barn Sunday night.
The State Fire Marshal's Office has ruled the fire was arson. Derogatory statements were painted on the barn walls and doors just before the fire, said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the fire marshal's office. Whitehouse said because of those statements, the fire marshal's office is looking at the possibility of a hate crime.
