Thieves break into Corbin American Legion Post Sunday, cause $3,300 in damage, officials say

A weekend burglary at the American Legion Post 88 in north Corbin is under investigation, and members are hopeful that the perpetrators will be found sometime in the near future.
Thieves broke into the Legion hall, located on Boone Ave. just outside the city limits in Laurel County, at about 8:10 p.m. Sunday night. Post Commander Donald Butler said the Corbin post was host to a district meeting of American Legion officials and family members earlier that day.
“There was about 125 people from all over the 11th District here,” Butler said. “I guess they thought there was more left behind than actually was. They just thought they’d choose yesterday [Sunday] to hit us.”
Butler said it appears the burglars used a hammer and crowbar to tear out the deadbolt lock on one of the Legion hall side doors. Officials estimate damage to the door, and some other furnishings inside the building at about $3,300, and say the thieves took about $70 in cash.
“They were just looking for money or anything else they could get their hands on to get money out of,” Butler said. “It’s just that time of year. The ones that don’t care about nothing or nobody but themselves are the ones that are going to end up paying the price for this.”
No one was in the building at the time of the break. Police and Legion officials were notified of burglary through the facility’s alarm system that automatically calls authorities.
Butler said the Legion has been broken into “two or three times” in the last few years. Most recently burglars tried to take a television set, but he said they were caught trying to sell it.
This time around, thieves had little time to pilfer through the building as the alarm system not only notifies police, but also has a loud, irritating noise that works to limit lingering in the building.
Butler said deputies from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department inspected the building after the break-in and are actively investigating the case. He said he is fairly confident those involved will be caught and said he has suspicions about who may have done it. One of the alleged thieves apparently dropped a set of house keys near the point of entry in the parking lot.
“It may take a little time, but I think they’ll get them.”