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A riddle-writing extortionist is terrorizing a New Hampshire animal sanctuary
Source: Washington Post
A riddle-writing extortionist is terrorizing a New Hampshire animal sanctuary
By Antonia Noori Farzan November 28 at 5:14 AM
Alpacas frolic in clover-filled paddocks. Teenagers tend to rescued donkeys and abandoned piglets. Well-fed barn cats laze around on rough-hewed benches. The Rickety Ranch, the New Hampshire Union-Leader wrote in 2014, “is a place where animals and humans go to leave their troubles behind.”
Over the past two years, however, trouble has found its way to the Hollis, N.H., farm. Animals have been savagely killed. Two trucks were torched. The barn was set on fire. Horses' tails were cut off. Meanwhile, rhyming extortion letters offered to make the violence stop — for the price of $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday announced a $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest in the case, which has so far baffled investigators. According to the FBI, the vandal — or, possibly, multiple vandals — has already committed tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage to the farm. “People have been lucky not to be injured or killed,” FBI agent Brian O’Hara told WBZ-TV.
Surrounded by rustic stone walls and tall pines, Rickety Ranch bills itself as an educational rescue farm run by kids and for kids. The farm’s owners, Diana and Gary Bergeron, take in unwanted, abused or injured animals that would otherwise be euthanized and teach young people to care for them. Many of the children and teenagers who work as volunteers on Rickety Ranch come from tough backgrounds or have disabilities. “Whatever it may be, we accept all with open arms and provide a happy place for them to come and feel secure,” the farm’s website promises.
-snip-
By Antonia Noori Farzan November 28 at 5:14 AM
Alpacas frolic in clover-filled paddocks. Teenagers tend to rescued donkeys and abandoned piglets. Well-fed barn cats laze around on rough-hewed benches. The Rickety Ranch, the New Hampshire Union-Leader wrote in 2014, “is a place where animals and humans go to leave their troubles behind.”
Over the past two years, however, trouble has found its way to the Hollis, N.H., farm. Animals have been savagely killed. Two trucks were torched. The barn was set on fire. Horses' tails were cut off. Meanwhile, rhyming extortion letters offered to make the violence stop — for the price of $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday announced a $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest in the case, which has so far baffled investigators. According to the FBI, the vandal — or, possibly, multiple vandals — has already committed tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage to the farm. “People have been lucky not to be injured or killed,” FBI agent Brian O’Hara told WBZ-TV.
Surrounded by rustic stone walls and tall pines, Rickety Ranch bills itself as an educational rescue farm run by kids and for kids. The farm’s owners, Diana and Gary Bergeron, take in unwanted, abused or injured animals that would otherwise be euthanized and teach young people to care for them. Many of the children and teenagers who work as volunteers on Rickety Ranch come from tough backgrounds or have disabilities. “Whatever it may be, we accept all with open arms and provide a happy place for them to come and feel secure,” the farm’s website promises.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/11/28/riddle-writing-extortionist-is-terrorizing-new-hampshire-animal-sanctuary/