HARRODSBURG, Ky. (LEX18) — A video taken in Mercer County is getting attention from locals and law enforcement.
Posted on August 13, the video shows someone operating a tractor and using it to flip a truck over and onto its back, ultimately totaling the vehicle. The incident happened somewhere on Mundys Landing.
While no one was inside the truck, the damage to personal property is considered first-degree criminal mischief, which carries a felony penalty.
According to some Harrodsburg locals, the truck flip has become the talk of the town.
Local Phillip Wainscott said, “That’s some serious stuff there,” watching the video for the first time.
“That’s probably the most exciting thing that’s happened in this town,” said Chris Allen, a local barber.
Chief Deputy Wes Gaddis told LEX18 that locals have helped advance the investigation.
With little context, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook and asked for help in identifying the operator of the tractor.
“It was just a few hours later, and we started getting the video, and people were throwing names around at us and telling us about the incident and things we didn’t know,” said Gaddis.
According to Gaddis, law enforcement in a small town has its perks.
“Small town, everybody knows everybody and everybody’s business, good or bad, so that’s small-town living,” said Gaddis.
Since calling on the community, deputies have learned that the truck flip incident was an act of retaliation. They've also found and used the video for their investigation.
“An employee had turned over a semi-truck in another state,” explained Gaddis. “It appears that in retaliation, the suspect flipped this employee's personal vehicle by using a tractor.”
The Sheriff’s Office is offering a $1,000 reward for information regarding the tractor operator.
“We are a small department and it’s a community thing that we have to work together,” said Gaddis. “If we want to make sure we’re keeping everybody safe, we need everybody’s help.”
