Lawn lighthouses stolen from Citrus couple's yard

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

This is a picture of the lighthouses that were stolen. Watch the story Watch Video

CITRUS COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A retired Citrus County couple who make extra money building lighthouses had some stolen from their front yard Tuesday morning.

The lighthouses cost $1,300.

Since the couple retired a decade ago they've been building lighthouses.

Marshall Kilpatrick says it really wasn't even his idea.

"Some guy came by and wanted to know if we made any," he said. "He was interested in buying one, so we started from there."

They started with wooden lighthouses but then turned to another material to make a better looking lighthouse: stones, which are pulled out of a potato farmer's fields in Michigan.

The lighthouse business helps the Kilpatricks supplement their retirement.

"When you get old enough to draw social security, you start ending up with extra medical bills," Kilpatrick said.

The four and five- foot lighthouses were gone Tuesday morning. A report has been filed with the sheriff's office.

"Someday they're going to be our age and they're going to know how we feel," said Doris Kilpatrick

The Kilpatrick's say the larger lighthouse that was stolen weighed about 400 pounds while the four-foot- tall lighthouse weighed about 200 pounds.

If you see the missing lighthouses, you can call the Citrus County Sheriff's Office at 352-726-4488 or call the Kilpatricks at 352-726-7229.

Share your story ideas

Jonathan Petramala, a journalist who lives and works in Citrus County, knows that there are plenty of stories out there that need to be told. He would love to hear from you so he can share your story.