Woman charged with stealing Ruben the horse from family in Enumclaw, WA
Former employee charged after Enumclaw horse theft
After a beloved horse was stolen in Enumclaw back in April, the person investigators say was behind the when of the getaway truck has now been charged.
ENUMCLAW, Wash. - After a beloved horse named Ruben was stolen in Enumclaw back in April, the person investigators accuse of being responsible is now charged. Prosecutors say she was a former employee at the barn where Ruben lived.
"He’s a very talented horse in the show ring," said Theresa Hodge, Ruben's owner. "And he smiles, yes."
Ruben the horse has a winning personality and a heart of gold. Theresa and Jack Hodge say the gentle quarter horse was owned by their late daughter Stephanie.
"He’s short statured, so that makes him even cuter," said Theresa, Ruben's owner.
Stephanie died several months ago following a battle with cancer. So, when her horse, Ruben, was stolen from the family's barn on April 9, his family members were emotional.
"More angry than distraught," said Jack Hodge, Ruben's owner.
Investigators say images from the barn's security systems showed two people with flashlights, circled in red, in the picture below, breaking in.
The Hodge family believes the thieves walked Ruben out of the barn to a truck and trailer waiting on a road behind the property.
Investigators say security video showed a truck and silver trailer pull away with Ruben that morning during the theft.
After talking to the Hodge family, investigators learned that a former employee, Jenee Westberg, had popped back into their lives after an absence of around five years. The Hodge's said she had been asking to see Ruben, multiple times, while buying hay from the family.
"That came up out of the clear blue sky. From the standpoint of, we hadn’t seen her for a long time, since she was employed at our farm," said Jack.
Based on this lead, and with help from their community, the family says they had eyes everywhere, looking for Ruben.
"A number of my daughter’s friends went to bat," said Jack. "We called them the pink posse."
Court documents show that deputies found a property associated with Westberg on Google Maps Street View, and they said that the image of the vehicle and trailer matched that of the vehicle and trailer seen in security video the morning of the horse theft. They filed the picture below in court documents.
"That led them to the exact place where Ruben was kept," said Jack.
A deputy went to talk to Westberg, according to court documents. At that time, the deputy reported that they spotted a tent-like, "makeshift barn" on her property.
The deputy stated in those documents:
"I asked Westberg if I could look in the large tent barn. She hesitated but said I could look inside from outside. I did so and saw a silver/aluminum horse trailer which I recognized to appear identical to the one seen in the surveillance video of the theft of Ruben on 4/9/2026."
The deputy said Westberg appeared "very nervous" and denied having a trailer in the barn, though it was reportedly visible to the deputy from outside the tent. She also reportedly denied having Ruben, telling the deputy to "get a warrant" in order to look inside.
When the deputy returned, they found Ruben inside tied up.
"This case is not obviously over," said Jack.
Investigators later determined that the trailer found on the property was reported as stolen.
The sheriff’s department did a fantastic job and did it quickly," said Jack.
In Westberg's first appearance, prosecutors asked a judge to hold Westberg on $30,000 bail, but a judge released Westberg on her own recognizance.
Westberg is expected to be back in court on June 25 for her arraignment.
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The Source: Information in this story came from court documents filed in King County Superior Court and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.