Rotary Club Bull Blast sign found in cemetery
May 18, 2016
Charlea Estes
Thanks to a keen eye by a cemetery’s caretakers, the Rotary Club of Cassville’s stolen Bull Blast sign has been returned to its rightful owners. According to Barry County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Randy Kalbaugh, the sign was recovered on Sunday, May 8, after a call came in by the Russell Cemetery’s caretakers Sue and Rick Horn. The two found it when they were checking in on the property.
Lt. Kalbaugh said, “We had a phone call come in from caretakers that it was right there, and it had been dumped in the grass. If you hadn’t been up on it, you wouldn’t have seen it.” The Russell Cemetery is located on Farm Road 1102 between Farm Roads 2130 and 2140 in the county.
Herb Primrose, Rotary Club member, said, “We’re just tickled to have it back. It saves us the expense of having to use the new one.” Primrose picked the sign up on Tuesday, and it has since been placed in storage with the club’s other signs. He said the club will reuse the signs for next year’s bull riding event if they have one.
Kalbaugh said that he does not have any suspects for the sign theft, and it was too wet to take fingerprints from when it was found. He said, “I think because it was in the paper, whoever took it figured people would know about it, so they dumped it.”
Primrose said, “Sue and Rick stopped by the cemetery on their way to church; they’ve been looking after it for 40 years. When they pulled in they saw it there.
“We’re really happy for the paper running it, because Sue had seen it in the paper and knew it didn’t belong out there.”
He added, “We’ll put the sign up again next year. We’ve thanked Lt. Kalbaugh for getting it back to us, and Sue and Rick for finding it.”
The Barry County Sheriff’s Department case regarding the stolen sign is still an open investigation. The crime of taking the sign, valued at $125, is a misdemeanor theft/stealing charge. If you have any details or tips regarding its theft, please contact the department at (417) 847-6556 or the non-emergency 9-1-1 line at (417) 847-4911.
Charlea Estes
Thanks to a keen eye by a cemetery’s caretakers, the Rotary Club of Cassville’s stolen Bull Blast sign has been returned to its rightful owners. According to Barry County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Randy Kalbaugh, the sign was recovered on Sunday, May 8, after a call came in by the Russell Cemetery’s caretakers Sue and Rick Horn. The two found it when they were checking in on the property.
Lt. Kalbaugh said, “We had a phone call come in from caretakers that it was right there, and it had been dumped in the grass. If you hadn’t been up on it, you wouldn’t have seen it.” The Russell Cemetery is located on Farm Road 1102 between Farm Roads 2130 and 2140 in the county.
Herb Primrose, Rotary Club member, said, “We’re just tickled to have it back. It saves us the expense of having to use the new one.” Primrose picked the sign up on Tuesday, and it has since been placed in storage with the club’s other signs. He said the club will reuse the signs for next year’s bull riding event if they have one.
Kalbaugh said that he does not have any suspects for the sign theft, and it was too wet to take fingerprints from when it was found. He said, “I think because it was in the paper, whoever took it figured people would know about it, so they dumped it.”
Primrose said, “Sue and Rick stopped by the cemetery on their way to church; they’ve been looking after it for 40 years. When they pulled in they saw it there.
“We’re really happy for the paper running it, because Sue had seen it in the paper and knew it didn’t belong out there.”
He added, “We’ll put the sign up again next year. We’ve thanked Lt. Kalbaugh for getting it back to us, and Sue and Rick for finding it.”
The Barry County Sheriff’s Department case regarding the stolen sign is still an open investigation. The crime of taking the sign, valued at $125, is a misdemeanor theft/stealing charge. If you have any details or tips regarding its theft, please contact the department at (417) 847-6556 or the non-emergency 9-1-1 line at (417) 847-4911.