Four more men have been arrested for looting in tornado-ravaged western Kentucky.
The Princeton Police Department said the four men, all from Michigan, were “stealing property from tornado-damaged residences and vehicles in Princeton,” in Caldwell County.
On Thursday, detectives with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations were assisting Princeton police on Meadowbrook Drive “with needs arising from the tornadoes and storms,” the attorney’s general’s office said.
The detectives noticed four males and approached them for questioning. While interrogating the men, authorities learned “the subjects had looted multiple properties.
Police arrested: 25-year-old Sevon E. Gowen of Sturgis, Michigan, and charged him with possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine), and promoting contraband; 27-year-old Brandon L. Ransbottom of Bronson, Michigan, was charged with possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, possession of handgun by a convicted felon, and possession of marijuana; and Mitchell E. Stanton and Jesse H. Stanton, both of Coldwater, Michigan, were charged with possession of burglary tools and receiving stolen property.
All four men were lodged in the Caldwell County Detention Center. The Stantons are no longer listed as inmates.
The Bowling Green Police Department arrested 45-year-old Jason Harral and 20-year-old Johnny Bratcher, both of Bowling Green, after an officer observed the two men loading a Samsung washer into the trunk of a car. A Samsung dryer was on the roof of the car.
They were attempting to steal the items on Whispering Hills Boulevard.
The estimated value of the washer and dryer is about $1,300, police said.
The suspects said they were going to “scrap” the metal, and according to police, they admitted the property didn’t belong to them, but they thought it was available for the taking.
Both men were arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking (over $1,000) and lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail on $6,000 bonds.
(Photo l-r: Sevon Gowen, Brandon Ransbottom)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
