Not who we are…

Not who we are

By Jeff Vanderbeck
Appalachian News-Express

Anyone with a pulse should be outraged after reading the story about the horses. In our newspapers, we report on all things that happen in Pike and surrounding counties. Regional news is important. It’s often heartbreaking, sad, and sometimes good. But we rarely expect to report on the despicable events from this past week.

When we found out that pods of horses were shot dead on an abandoned strip mine in Floyd County, we were heartbroken and out raged. Just as we are when we report another drug death, child abuse and other heinous crimes. But without bias or prejudice we did our job and reported what we know.

The rest of that story may not come out for a while. There are autopsies that need to be done, and the rest of the dead horses need to be discovered before the authorities can move forward.

The shooters are the ultimate criminals and need to be locked up for a long time.

Shooting horses is not normal. The people who did this are evil and need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. There is no excuse for this behavior, there is no place in society for this behavior and this is not who we are.

It’s bad enough that we hear about kids getting abused, malnourished and punished because their parents are deadbeats. It’s bad that people are so strung out on drugs that they find themselves in the headlines. That happens everywhere not just here. But, to shoot dozens of horses in unconscionable and reprehensible. That’s not who we are.

We posted the tragic findings on our web pages and within hours we had more than 25,000 people who were reached. That sparked lots of conversation about the criminals who shot the horses and left them for dead. Allegedly, there were horses of all ages and even ones that were pregnant, which sparked further outrage.

In this small community, it’s hard to believe that someone doesn’t know something about this crime. And, once the truth comes out, all people who are culpable need to be punished as well.

People need to come forward with any information they have. Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt will keep all tips anonymous and you can even call the anonymous tip line, (606) 949-2020.

As expected, the great people of this region want to help with reward money and resources to help. The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office has been inundated with calls about donations. The Sheriff put up his own money for a reward but cannot accept donations for a reward. However, at this time the only legitimate group that is taking donations is Dumas Rescue. They can be reached, (606) 339-8090.

I say they are the only recognized legitimate group taking donations at this time so scammers don’t fool people. If you have any questions please call the sheriff’s office at, (606) 886-6711. All callers may remain anonymous.