Sheriff Seeks Help After 2 More Fires
Published: Friday, October 8, 2021
The Elkhart County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in its investigation of several recent barn fires, the latest of which occurred in Benton Twp.
Two barns, each with centennial farm designations, were destroyed last Friday night. As the owners continued to clean up the debris and begin the rebuilding process, the sheriff's office is asking residents to review any home security or surveillance footage and suspicious activity around the dates of the fires.
The first blaze was reported at 9:39 p.m. at 72648 C.R. 43, Syracuse. The barn is owned by Bradley Bobeck.
Then, at 11:17 p.m., Garry Weybright, who lives at 13394 C.R. 48, Syracuse, reported that his barn also was on fire.
The Benton Twp. Fire Department responded to the fires. Both incidents are under investigation by the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshal's office.
No humans or animals were injured in either fire.
With the addition of these two blazes, the total number of suspicious barn fires in the three-county area of Elkhart, St. Joseph and Kosciusko stands at 12. Eight of the fires have happened in Elkhart County, three in Kosciusko County and one in St. Joseph County.
The 12 suspicious fires have occurred in pairs, all since mid-April. The dates and locations of the fires are:
• April 13—23350 C.R. 38, Goshen
• April 13—69576 C.R. 13, New Paris
• April 26—4009 W. 1250 N., Milford
• April 27—70383 C.R. 29, Syracuse
• May 3—61524 C.R. 1, Elkhart
• May 3—63895 Ash Rd., Wakarusa
• June 10—7249 W. 1150 N., Nappanee
• June 10—12957 N. 700 W., Nappanee
• Sept. 18—25445 C.R. 38, Goshen
• Sept. 19—62045 C.R. 9, Goshen
• Oct. 1—72648 C.R. 43, Syracuse
• Oct. 1—13394 C.R. 48, Syracuse
Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Bob Smith at 574/891-2352 or through the Elkhart County Sheriff's tip line at ECSDTipLine@elkhartcountysheriff.com.
Residents are reminded to dial 911 to report suspicious activity.
The Weybright barn was historic. Built sometime in the early 1900s, the L-shaped barn with a hip roof was used to milk cows and served as the headquarters for a hybrid seed corn business operated by Garry's grandfather.
The barn had also hosted numerous family reunions, according to Garry. In 2009, Garry and his wife Linda received a Centennial Farm Citation from the Elkhart County Agricultural Society.
The Weybrights are retired but both remain very active on the farm.
Linda said the damage caused by the alleged arsonist is "heart-breaking." The barn was a source of pride for the family.
The fire destroyed not only the barn but also two antique tractors and machinery, a mower, hay wagon, utility vehicle, wood splitter, tools, chain saws and other items.
"Every half-inch wrench I own is out there," Garry said. "Every shovel, every bucket and the sharpener for chain saws is out there."
The intense heat from the barn fire melted the molding on the couple's pickup and car, which were parked nearby. It also buckled the siding on the Weybright house. A large oak tree that had seen all three generations of the family was severely scorched.
Embers from the fire floated across C.R. 48 and landed underneath a combine owned by a neighboring farmer. The embers ignited and burned the machine's wiring harness.
The only bright spot, Linda said, was that a 1955 Ford pickup once owned by Garry's father had been removed from the barn just a few weeks earlier by Garry's brother, who plans to restore it.
Linda said she and her husband spotted fire trucks responding to the first blaze on C.R. 43 as they were coming home from a football game. She said they arrived home and were there about an hour and a half when a passerby stopped to alert them about their barn being on fire.
Garry said they plan to rebuild.
Last Saturday, as Garry surveyed the devastation caused by the fire, he said he was trying not to think about the person or persons who set the fires.
"I don't allow myself to think about that, because I would get upset," he said. "I would get angry and I have A-fib. If I let that kind of thing work on me, I wouldn't be able to function."
Return to Top of Page