• Sheep farmer baffled by shooting in Leominster

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Farmer Keith P. Kopley's sheep graze on land in Leominster Wednesday. A sheep was found shot in the field on Monday. T&G Staff/Rick Cinclair
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• By Samantha Allen
  Telegram & Gazette Staff

  
  Posted Jul. 20, 2016 at 9:55 PM
  Updated Jul 20, 2016 at 10:08 PM
  
  

  LEOMINSTER - When Kalon Farm, headquartered in Ashburnham, had 200 chickens stolen from its property three years ago, owner Keith P. Kopley was perplexed.

  He said later the FBI became involved in the case. Agents told him they believed the act to be a case of domestic terrorism at the hands of environmental extremists looking to “liberate” the coop.

  Mr. Kopley said the theft occurred a few weeks before the Boston Marathon bombing and after that, he didn’t hear anything further from the FBI. No charges were reported.

  Mr. Kopley, 40, at the time believed that whoever committed the theft was tipped off by his Facebook post about the new shipments of days-old chicks. This week, when he discovered one of his sheep had been shot in Leominster, Mr. Kopley struggled to understand why crime had fallen on his small farming operation yet again.

  This week’s victim, a 2-year-old female Scottish blackface, was one of about 100 that roam the capped landfill off Mechanic Street. Mr. Kopley said his employees check on the herd every three days or so. The sheep were last checked Saturday afternoon, and the dead sheep was found at 3 p.m. Monday.

  “I got into farming because it’s more relaxing on a day-to-day basis, except when stuff like this happens,” he said Wednesday.

  Local police continue to investigate the matter. A spokeswoman for the FBI’s Boston field office said she couldn’t confirm or deny an investigation into the Leominster sheep slaying. She also declined to confirm the 2013 investigation into the alleged chicken kidnapping.

  Local police say they are reviewing area surveillance footage. Lt. Michael A. Ciccolini said the sheep was found with two small holes on either side of its neck, and according to Kalon Farm employees, the sheep was found in a pool of blood near the Whitman & Bingham Associates building, near Fidelity Bank and the connector to Interstate 190. Mr. Kopley said that area is one of the spots on the 30-acre lot that catches shade on hot summer days.

  The holes in the dead sheep – believed to be caused by a bullet, according to police – were about the circumference of a cigarette, leading police to believe a .22-caliber gun may have been used. No shell casing was recovered.

  “We can’t tell if it was a drive-by, or if it happened from five or 10 or 25 yards away. The road is right there,” Lt. Ciccolini said. “This appears to be a random act at this time."

  Asked about any connection to environmental terrorism, the lieutenant said it wouldn’t make sense for activists to harm an animal. He said in his 21 years, he’s never covered such an obscure crime.

  “That’s just mean. You hope it’s just kids and some kind of stupid act,” he said. “I’ve seen dogs shot in people’s yards, issues with neighbors’ pets, but never something like this.”

  The city entered an agreement with Kalon Farm in 2014 to allow the farm's female herd to graze there, an arrangement that provides the city a free and environmentally-beneficial way to keep the grass down at the old landfill site.

  Leominster Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella said the sheep are icons in the city. He said Wednesday they were lined up along a portion of the property that overlooks the highway. He said it was as though the sheep were standing in solidarity with their fallen sister, in an attempt to bring awareness to passers-by.

  “When I travel around, and people find out I’m from Leominster, they want to know all about the sheep,” he said. “Locals come from off the highway. People deliberately drive by there just to see them. ... They’re just so peaceful.”

  The mayor said dozens in the community are disturbed and heartbroken, and several have come forward to offer a more substantial reward for information on the shooting.

  Not all were thrilled with the city’s play to bring in four-legged mowers two years ago, though. Back then, several residents near the property complained the sheep smelled and lowered their property values.

  Mr. Kopley, who lives in Ashburnham, launched his farm eight years ago, after turning away from a career in real estate to live a simpler life. He said he was first inspired to produce grass-fed, healthy meats after his son, now 7, developed a severe allergy that prevented him from eating most mass-produced meats. Mr. Kopley said he and his team of some 10 to 15 employees strive to care for their animals properly. The farm has cattle, chickens, goats and sheep. He said they live well before they’re taken to a slaughterhouse in New Hampshire for processing.

  “You treat them the right way. ... The animals are the reason why we do it. We like to have them. It’s not just a business,” he said. “You go through seasons where all of your calves are born and your piglets and then the lambs were born last year, all 175 of them. I was present for a lot of that and ... you bring them up and you’re around them a lot. You can get attached to some of them. It's just a waste.”

  Mr. Kopley added that his farm, with another location in Lancaster, suffered another loss about six months ago, when the shop there was broken into. Burglars stole hundreds of dollars in cash plus a leg of lamb. He said that incident led him to beef up his security system, and now he’s looking into cameras for the landfill site in Leominster to protect his flock.

  With the sheep killing the third crime reported by Kalon Farm in the last three years, Mr. Kopley was asked if he feels someone has a personal vendetta against him.

  “I don’t think anybody would be that stupid,” he said. “Why risk going to jail for something like that?”

  Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact police through the Leominster Crime Stoppers website at www.leominstercrimestoppers.com or by calling at (978) 534-7534 or by texting TIPS654 to 274637.