Thousands in equipment stolen from historic Farmington property

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LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Thieves broke into a historical property, stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment. It happened April 5 at Farmington Historic Plantation off Bardstown Road near Sullivan University.

"Farmington was once a 500-acre hemp plantation," Farmington Executive Director Diane Carman-Young said. "It belonged to the Speed family."

Carman-Young said whoever broke into one of their barns smashed out a window with a brick and stole items worth $2,000. The items that were stolen include trimmers, chainsaws, weed eaters, blowers and tools. The stolen items are things the staff needs for the upkeep of the 18-acre property.

"We've never had anything this drastic happen," Carman-Young said.

An alarm on the property went off and alerted Louisville Metro police of the break-in.

"Our event season starts Saturday," Carman-Young said. "Than we have our plant sale the weekend after that, and then we move into Derby events. This could not have come at a more inconvenient time for us."

>> VIDEO: Watch Maira Ansari's report

Farmington is a popular destination for weddings and events. When their neighbor, Sullivan University, heard what happened they stepped up to help out. Sullivan University is providing lawn equipment and manpower to Farmington as the historic plantation recovers from the recent burglary and prepares for its busiest time of the year.

"It's kind of one of those things where it always feels good to lean on your neighbors in a time of crisis, and they definitely came through for us," Carman-Young said.

Carman-Young believes whoever targeted Farmington knew exactly where to find their equipment. Sullivan University has security cameras that focus on the entryway to the property. The cameras captured a vehicle on the property shortly before police arrived. That security image has been turned over to police.

Farmington has security cameras and they are looking to to add more and beefing up their security. Although Sullivan is helping their neighbor, Farmington is trying to figure out how to replace the stolen equipment. They are a non-profit and rely on the community's help.

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