A South Carolina man was arrested after stealing a horse from a local farm and riding it all the way to his father’s house and into his bedroom to hide it from police. Sadly for 31-year-old Gary Coble Jr., his attempted theft was witnessed by a concerned citizen who reported him to authorities. It wasn’t long before deputies from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the property and took Coble Jr. and the horse into custody.
- Coble Jr. was caught in the act. An anonymous witness saw him riding the horse down Country Lane in Mountain Rest and taking it to his father’s house. At that point, the witness called the Sheriff’s Office, who then called Coble’s father. His father reported that the son wasn’t even supposed to be there.
- The house was already destroyed. When authorities arrived, they found Coble Jr. in the bedroom with the horse and the house was already littered with horse feces, according to WIS-TV. Deputies reported that the horse “appeared to be calm,” which is a relief. It must have been a very stressful situation for the animal.
- Coble Jr. was taken into custody immediately. He was charged with second-degree burglary, petit larceny, malicious injury to personal property, possession/making burglary tools, stealing of livestock, and entering premises after warning, Oconee County Jail records reveal.
- The owner of the horse has no plans to press charges. While the horse, which is valued at $6,500, had a laceration on its leg that hadn’t been there previously, the owner of the horse said they won’t press charges against Coble Jr. However, he will likely still face prosecution and could spend time behind bars.
