(Franklin County Sheriff’s office)
Lest you think the state of Kentucky is takes bourbon theft lightly, state officials say they’re not content with going after the one person already arrested after five barrels of Wild Turkey bourbon were pilfered from a warehouse, and that more booze may have been pilfered than previously believed.
The case could now result in multiple indictments, says the sheriff at the head of the case looking into who lifted the heavy barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery, reports the Associated Press.
Several law enforcement agencies are now looking for possible accomplices, according to Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton.
“There are several people that are suspects that are involved in it, and we would anticipate moving forward with this case,” he said.
He called off a news conference planned for today, saying investigators had uncovered a new lead that will delay the original case from going to the grand jury, but did say it would head there as soon as next week.
“We just had a major development today that has opened up a couple more doors for us, and we’re going to follow up on that,” the sheriff said.
One suspect who worked for Buffalo Trace Distillery has been arrested in connection to the theft, and he pleaded not guilty to offenses including receiving stolen property worth more than $10,000.
Each barrel stolen was valued at around $3,000 each, and were found abandoned behind a shed with spray paint covering each label. The owner of Wild Turkey said it didn’t appear that anyone had broken into the warehouse where the bourbon was aging, before it was slated to become Wild Turkey 101.
This isn’t the first time the state has had to deal with bourbon thievery — though the case of a famous Pappy Van Winkle theft back in 2013 still remains unsolved.
New lead delays sending Wild Turkey bourbon theft to grand jury [Associated Press]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist