Goshen Horse- Thief Detectives

It's a Christmas story worth telling all year round, even when snow is the likely the last thing on your mind!

Recently a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of Goshen's "Horse Thief Detectives" was found, dating all the way back to about 1900!  The book has a special meaning to Chief Ray Snyder and Clerk Deborah Britt. Back in 2002 they teamed up to go on a Horse Detective Mission themselves! 

On Thanksgiving night of 2002, two crooks backed their truck up to a farm near O'Bannonville Road, and made off with two horses. It happened in the middle of the night, with no witnesses, and not many clues to speak of.

A horse owner himself, Chief Snyder took a personal interest in tracking down the horses. As it would turn out, the horses were bought and sold several times before a watchful consignment horse sale clerk would provide Goshen police with the clue they needed.

The horses were sold to the Shipshewana Auction Hall in Indiana just a few weeks after they had been stolen. The sales clerk had an after hours hobby of researching and tracking stolen horses online. This night, she would recognize two horses the auction house had just bought, as listed as stolen out of Goshen Township. The clerk called police, and the search was on!

The horses were tracked all over the region, and eventually police were able to pin their locations. One Horse was in Edwardsburg, Michigan the other in Bracken County Kentucky. Chief Snyder called Tim Hodges, a township trustee, and asked to borrow his horse trailer. Hodges agreed, and the pair headed north. He called another horse owner and officer and headed him south to retrieve the other horse.

The horses were retrieved without any trouble, and started their long ride back to Goshen Township. Police Clerk Deborah Britt met up with police as they returned the horses just before midnight on Christmas Eve. Red ribbons were tied around their neck, and a caravan of police, news media, and caring followers of the case headed out to the farm!

The family was a bit surprised to see a police motorcade rolling up with lights spinning just before midnight. When they opened their door though, the surprise was well worth it. Their beloved horses, stolen just a matter of weeks before, were safe and sound back at home with their owners.

The two suspects in this case were tracked down, arrested, and sentenced to jail time.

Read the original consitution & by-laws of Goshen's Horse Thief Detectives. 

Join the Goshen Horse Thief Detectives.