Eight Horses are Home
Brittany Turner and her father Greg, load one of the horses picked up Saturday. Photo by Jeff Jobe
“Hales’ threats won’t work on us this time,”
~ Greg Turner
Jeff Jobe
Community Publisher
Barren County Progress/JPI
“It is a roller coaster of emotion” is how Brittany Turner describes how she felt this past Saturday at the Barren River State Park. It was an exciting day for her family to be united with eight of their nine horses but also sad to know the one man who did all this to them is still trying to keep one of their horses as his own.
The Turners agreed to meet county officials on March 4 at 4:00 p.m. at the stables located inside Barren River State Park where they knew they would be getting eight of their nine horses.
Representing the county were Deputy Judge-Executive Beau Jones and Magistrate Derek Pedigo. Pedigo has been taking care of the horses since he was sworn in along with his daughter and others. Jones was there to make sure all went smoothly on behalf of Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd and fiscal court.
At left, Greg Turner and at right, Brittany Turner thank Magistrate Derek Pedigo for the care he gave the horses.
Greg Turner said it has been a long road and it would be easy to dwell on all the lies about him but it just isn’t worth it. “People who know us never believed it and we now know there are more good people in Barren County than bad people,” he said.
It was the Turners who started negotiations following the November election with a letter to the former fiscal court members. Greg said there was such a resounding defeat of the former judge-executive and county attorney, that he hoped those who allowed this to happen might clean it up before leaving office.
Former Judge-Executive Micheal Hale filed a lien at the Barren County Clerk’s Office on Tuesday, Jan. 3, saying he and his wife are entitled to $17,168.10, presumed to be for costs associated with the care of a horse taken into his possession for the better part of two years.
It wasn’t until Jamie Bewley-Byrd and Mike Richardson were sworn in as Judge-Executive and County Attorney that magistrates were given the opportunity to go into closed session and discuss Turner’s offer. His offer was negotiated and agreed to unanimously by magistrates in which all nine horses would return to their rightful owner, Brittany Turner. In exchange, they would withdraw the appeal and legal challenges against the county.
The agreement specified in detail how Hale took the horse to his property without approval and was never authorized to board it.
The Turners wish to thank Barren County for sending the message that truth is important by electing new county officials.
They want everyone to know they have no intention of leaving one of their horses behind and look forward to getting their day in front of the Honorable Judge John Alexander.
Greg said, “Hale’s threats of charging us $35,000 to get our horses back worked once before during a pandemic but we are confident our attorney Gary Logsdon can present a compelling case for truth and how this man just wants to keep our horse.”
Eight of the nine horses returning home after a years-long legal battle.
Photo by Jeff Jobe
I feel sorry for the Turners having to go through this having to deal with CROOKS.
My Husband and myself have gone to the park daily, weather permitting, since 2008 to walk and check on the horses. When I didn’t see hay, I would call and check with Judge Hale’s office to find out when their hay would come. Judge Bewley was then taking care of it, through Friends of the Barren River. I was so surprised, as I’m sure many readers were, when Judge Hale somehow decided to take a horse to live with his Family, although it is somewhat of a picture of these troubled times…All of this to say, Thank You, Mr. Jobe, for being a voice of the people and staying on top of this story by getting to the bottom of a heap of entitlement!
I’m not sure why my comment wasn’t allowed as I was praising all that you’ve done for those horses.
So maybe a simple thank you will work.