PREBLE COUNTY — A man has been formally charged after a child’s chicken coop was set on fire in Eaton.
Benjamin Heggs, 26, was indicted by a Preble County grand jury on charges of arson, aggravated possession of drugs, possessing criminal tools, attempted cruelty to animals, criminal damaging and criminal trespass.
On July 19 around 6 p.m., Eaton police were called to the 300 block of East Main Street on reports of a chicken run that had been intentionally set on fire the night before.
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There was extensive fire damage to the tarp that draped over the chicken run, along with bags of sand and bedding.
Ring camera video captured a suspect running from the scene.
The chicken run belonged to a 10-year-old 4-H member, Carlee Watson.
This is the first time she’s showing chickens through 4-H at the county fair.
More than a dozen chickens were inside the coops when the fire started.
None of them died.
The family told police they had been made aware of a complaint a few months earlier when they accidentally purchased a rooster rather than a chicken.
Neighbors were shown the video and identified the man as 26-year-old Benjamin Heggs, according to Eaton Municipal Court documents.
Investigators got a warrant and searched Heggs’ home on July 20.
Inside, “a propane torch was located next to a can of Coors Light on Heggs’ gaming table,” according to court documents.
Investigators said a loaded semi-automatic gun with the hammer cocked and a round in the chamber was lying on a couch.
Five other guns were also found in the home, including an AR-15.
Psilocybin mushrooms were also found in a bedroom, court documents allege.
Watson was gifted a new chicken coop by Timerline Portable Building.
We will continue to follow this story.
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