Antique wooden bar stolen from vandalized Donegal Township B&B

A business agreement for the takeover of a Donegal Township bed and breakfast went south when police said the prospective owners ransacked the interior, shot up glassware and disappeared, taking the establishment’s antique bar with them.

State police are looking for a Kentucky woman who they believe scammed the co-owners of the business and stole multiple other items this summer. Samantha Nicole Brown, 35, of Louisville was charged this month with theft and receiving stolen property.

Co-owner David Smalley learned of the alleged scam after receiving a concerning call from a guest.

Baneberry Meadows Bed & Breakfast — which has since reopened — was locked and appeared to be abandoned, the guest said. When Smalley got there from his home in Tennessee, he saw numerous items, including the antique wooden bar, were missing.

“They just ripped it out of the floor,” he said. “It’s very sad; it was a beautiful bar.”

He and co-owner Patricia Cisarik had placed the business, which also serves as an event venue, up for sale after owning it for a few years. Troopers said Smalley and Cisarik were contacted by Brown earlier this year who, along with an unidentified man, expressed interest in buying it.

For the first couple of weeks, everything was fine — guests visited and the rooms were cleaned, Smalley said. But when he got the phone call from the guest June 1, he found out Brown’s interest had apparently been a scam.

Smalley said it appeared the suspects also set up glassware on a high-top table behind the bed and breakfast and used it for target practice. He found about 200 shell casings.

“The table that they used is all shot up,” he said.

In addition to the wooden bar, valued at $10,000, police said Brown stole six black metal high-top tables, six wooden high-top bar stools and a brown leather couch. Smalley said he believes they sold the items online.

“I had no knowledge of that whatsoever,” he said. “Who would’ve ever thought that someone could do that type of thing.”

Smalley said the pair seemed motivated and wanted to get restaurant space there running. The group struck an agreement that Brown and the man would manage the site starting April 30 until they were able to buy it, police said.

So far, none of the missing items have been returned, he said. The owners have not been able to reach Brown or the man, police said.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Brown. Troopers initially charged a man with conspiracy in connection with the same incident, but those charges have been withdrawn.

Baneberry Meadows Bed & Breakfast is on property that was deeded to a local family in 1786. It was sold several times over the centuries since and a farmhouse on the property was estimated to have been built around 1865.

The farmhouse is separate from the renovated barn where guest rooms are located. Guests who hold events at the venue have access to the bar and commercial kitchen.