Michigan men face prison after looting following Kentucky tornadoes
CALDWELL COUNTY, Ky. — Two Branch-St. Joseph County men charged with looting tornado-damaged homes were sentenced to prison on other charges after their arrest in December.
After tornadoes and storms ravaged western Kentucky in December 2021, law enforcement joined the clean-up and rescue effort.
"The detectives noticed four male subjects and approached them for questioning," a news release from the Kentucky Attorney General's office said. "The questioning revealed that the subjects had taken property from tornado-damaged vehicles and residences."
The four were arrested in Princeton, Kentucky, a tornado-damaged community 40 miles south of Evansville, Indiana.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Brandon L. Ransbottom, 28, of Bronson, Michigan, was sentenced in June to five years in prison on the firearm-related charges.
According to court records, Sevon Gowen, 26, of Sturgis, was sentenced in April 2022 to two years and one day in prison on the promoting contraband and meth possession charges. Gowen was extradited to Branch County last week to face theft charges there.
Authorities in Kentucky said Mitchell E. Stanton, 31, and Jesse H. Stanton, 30, both of Coldwater, Michigan, failed to appear for court. Warrants were issued for them on Jan. 24.
According to the Kentucky Attorney General's office, the Stantons had been arrested and charged with possessing burglary tools and receiving stolen property.
The Stantons were released on their own recognizance ahead of arraignment in Caldwell District Court. Gowen and Ransbottom were held on bonds.Prosecutors dismissed the theft-related charges for guilty pleas to the drug and weapons charges against Gowen and Ransbottom.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Two area Michigan men sentenced in Kentucky after December tornadoes
