Kentucky police investigated stolen weed eater in same area officer shot, killed man
The London Police Department had a lead in the case of a weed eater stolen from a property owned by a county official in the same area where an officer would fatally shoot a man at his home two days before Christmas.
Officials on Thursday did not confirm the equipment’s theft is related to the attempted Dec. 23 late-night search warrant execution in Lily, an unincorporated area in Laurel County about 85 miles south of Lexington.
The initial search warrant has not been made public as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
However, the Kentucky State Police, which is investigating the police shooting, said the London Police Department was “following up on an investigation with an attempt to execute a search warrant” at a home on Vanzant Road.
Records indicate that London police intended to search 489 Vanzant Road in Lily, a property that was 250 feet away from where they killed 63-year-old Douglas Harless, at 511 Vanzant Road.
Hobert Buttery, 49, is accused of stealing a heater and a weed eater from a London house around 10 p.m. Dec. 22, according to an arrest report. The items’ owner reported them missing to police on Dec. 23.
The Taylor Drive property is owned by David and Karen Westerfield, according to public property value records. David Westerfield is the Laurel County judge-executive.
Westerfield told the Herald-Leader the items were stolen out of a garage that was being rented out to another man. Seven items in total were stolen, valued at $4,800, he said.
The Westerfields were in Lexington when the theft occurred, he said. Westerfield said Buttery was a previous employee of the tenant, and the theft was an act of retaliation from a previous firing.
Westerfield said he didn’t know who Buttery was prior to this incident.
Police wrote the equipment owner said Buttery had previously worked for them and asked for a job but was denied.
The equipment owner also told police only someone who knew where the items were would have stolen them because the house was vacant, according to court documents.
Video surveillance captured a white Chevrolet Blazer in the driveway at the Taylor Drive home, according to court documents.
The vehicle and Buttery were later found in Manchester in neighboring Clay County, and Buttery admitted to stealing a weed eater and heater from the home.
Buttery told authorities he took the lawn maintenance tool to a home in Lily and the heater to a pawnshop in Manchester. Court documents say the items were valued at over $1,000. Court records show Buttery previously used the address 515 Vanzant Road as recently as October 2023.
Police arrested Buttery at 7:34 p.m. on Dec. 23.
Little more than four hours later, London police attempted to carry out the search on Vanzant Road. The Kentucky State Police said it was contacted about the shooting at 11:53 p.m.
Police dispatch audio and a call log show that officers intended to serve a search warrant at 489 Vanzant Road. Harless lived at 511 Vanzant Road.
Westerfield offered his condolences to the Harless family, saying it’s an unimaginable loss for them and the community. He also said he had nothing to do with the warrant that put police on Vanzant Road in the first place.
“I don’t have the authority as judge-executive to sign a warrant and did not ask anyone to execute a warrant,” Westerfield said.
Officials have said little about the shooting, including if officers were at the correct home that Monday night or if Harless was a suspect in any crime. Authorities have not identified the officer who killed Harless.
Police have said Harless pointed a gun at officers before he was killed. The officer who shot Harless has been placed on administrative leave, according to London police.
London Police denied a Kentucky Open Records Act request for the search warrant Thursday, saying the document wasn’t in its possession.
“All of the records of the shooting incident that occurred on December 23 and 24th of 2024 have been turned over to the Kentucky State Police,” attorney Larry Bryson said in response to the Herald-Leader’s request.
The Herald-Leader also filed an open records request seeking body-cam footage worn by officers of the incident.
That request was denied by London’s city attorney, who said, “You made a request for body camera footage from the execution of a search warrant on Vanzant Road in Lily on Monday, December 23. No such body camera exists. All records relating to the incident have been provided to the Kentucky State Police.”
Buttery was to have a preliminary hearing in Laurel District Court on Thursday morning, according to court records.
He’s being held on a $10,000 bond.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that while David Westerfield is the owner of the Taylor Drive home where the theft occurred, the stolen items belonged to another man who rents from him. A police report incorrectly said the “owners of the residence” had reported the items stolen.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM.
