Arson that killed 8 horses may be hate crime

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McCONNELSVILLE, Ohio — Firefighters in rural Ohio are offering a $5,000 reward for information about who was behind an Easter arson attack that killed eight horses, including a week-old colt, in a blaze being investigated as a hate crime against the animals’ gay owner, AOL News reported citing several Ohio news outlets. Brent Whitehouse, who’s gay, said he noticed an orange glow coming from the barn near his farmhouse in McConnelsville, Ohio, just before midnight Sunday. He ran out to the barn, but the door jammed, its hinges likely melted from the fire’s heat, AOL said. Whitehouse told a TV station in the region (Channel 10) he “couldn’t believe they would take the time to actually harm an innocent animal.” Homophobic slurs like “Fags are freaks” and “Burn in hell” were discovered spray-painted on the smoldering wreckage of his barn. Whitehouse estimated their value, along with the destroyed barn, to be more than $500,000. The state fire marshal’s office has ruled that the fire was intentionally set. The local Blue Ribbon Arson Committee has announced a $5,000 reward for any information about who set the fire, AOL reported.http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/04/28/national-news-in-brief-april-29/