UPDATE: 2 suspects in custody for ‘Biden Barn’ fire, as more details emerge. Here’s what we know
Two teenagers are in custody — and facing numerous felony counts of arson — for allegedly starting the Saturday fire that burned down Reedsville’s “Biden Barn,” an iconic building painted in support of the president and vice president.
According to a Thursday night news release from the Mifflin County Regional Police Department, 19-year-old Michael R. Kauffman, of Mifflintown, was arraigned by Mifflin County Magisterial District Judge Kent Smith and moved to the Mifflin County Prison, where he’s being held on $500,000 bail. The other suspect is a 15-year-old juvenile who’s involved with a local fire department, unnamed because of his age. He was transported to Centre County’s youth detention center.
According to the criminal complaint, four teens were joyriding together the night of the fire — although only two have been charged so far, as a 17-year-old boy and his girlfriend allegedly stayed in the truck during the arson. (It’s unknown if more charges might be forthcoming.) When Kauffman was asked why they started the blaze, during a phone call monitored Thursday by police, he said, “Because it was the Biden Barn.”
Kauffman and the 15-year-old initially attempted to start a blaze in the Biden Barn with a mixture of camping fuel and road flares, per the complaint. When that didn’t work, they drove to a nearby Sheetz and filled up a canister with 2-5 gallons of diesel fuel, before returning to the barn on Tea Creek Road to try again.
About 10 minutes after their second attempt, the barn caught fire and quickly became fully engulfed. The Reedsville Volunteer Fire Company was called just before 1 a.m., and the 15-year-old who allegedly helped start the blaze then returned with the Yeagertown Fire Company. (The 17-year-old was also involved with another local fire company, although there’s no mention of him returning to the scene in the complaint.)
The fire was extinguished by 2:20 a.m. with at least a half-dozen fire companies at the scene. The barn, which was at least 80 years old, was completely destroyed with only part of the charred frame left standing.
Kauffman is facing two felony counts of arson of a historic resource, two felony counts of criminal mischief, one felony count of possession of an explosive and one misdemeanor of recklessly endangering another person. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The Biden Barn became a local landmark around September, when the Herst Family decided to paint their barn in support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — in part because Biden signs kept being stolen locally and, lifelong Democrat Robin Herst said, “We knew no one could steal a barn.”
The community response to the alleged arson was swift. A GoFundMe has raised more than $22,000 so far to rebuild the barn, and the Hersts have received dozens of calls and visitors — some from as far away as Arizona and Texas.
The Hersts told the Centre Daily Times on Wednesday that the barn could be rebuilt as soon as next spring, although they weren’t yet certain they would again repaint it with Biden insignia.
For the four teens involved in the incident, the night of the fire didn’t exactly start out innocently. According to the criminal complaint, earlier in the night, Kauffman and the 15-year-old began shooting out van windows with a pellet gun near Pheasant Valley Recycling. The 15-year-old then attempted to start a fire by throwing road flares onto fields and a wooded area, although nothing caught.
It was then they decided to shift their focus to the Biden Barn, with the 15-year-old returning home to pick up camping fuel for an attempt at arson, per public documents.
The 17-year-old and his father waived his Miranda rights Tuesday and spoke to police, offering a fuller picture of what occurred.
Although barn owner Robin Herst said it’s been difficult to eat or sleep since the night of the fire, she said her family has been buoyed by all the community support. Despite living in a red county, Mifflin County, she said there’s been no shortage of requests to help clean up, rebuild or donate.
And the property won’t have to go indefinitely without a barn, which the Hersts hope to rebuild and turn into a community-centric business, a country store with an outdoor area to host future events like Christmas festivals.
“My parents are big dreamers,” added the Hersts’ daughter, Brianna Goss, “so I’m sure the new barn is going to be pretty cool.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 8:41 PM.
