Sheriff: 2 of 3 horses Indiana man stole from Mercer County Fairgrounds are dead

A 21-year-old Indiana man is in jail on charges accusing him of stealing three horses from the Mercer County Fairgrounds on Tuesday morning and turning over the trailer they were in, which led to the deaths of two of the animals.

John Eicher, of Berne, Indiana, is being detained on a theft charge in the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility, Sheriff Jeff Grey said Tuesday evening. Bond has been set at $100,000.

Numerous tips to the sheriff's office throughout the day led deputies to Eicher, who cooperated with the investigation. According to detectives, Eicher was unfamiliar with the workings of the ball hitch on the trailer, which is what caused the trailer to come unhooked from the getaway truck and overturn on Wabash Road, near Skeels Road.

Two of the horses died as a result of injuries; the third horse is being returned to its owner this evening, Sheriff Grey said.

Several other items stolen along with the horses -- such as tack, saddle, race cart, wheels, horse shoes and more -- are being recovered by deputies.

Deputies dispatched just before 7 a.m. on the report of a crashed horse trailer on Wabash Road found two horses in the trailer. The deputies quickly learned the trailer and horses had been stolen from the fairgrounds.

The case will be sent to county Prosecutor Matt Fox for review and the possibility of additional charges, Grey said.