An Augusta man was charged Sunday with stealing a 9-foot-high Statue of Liberty from a Hephzibah home and trying to sell it to a local recycling center.
Michael Bargeron, 27, of Roy Road, Augusta, was charged with theft by receiving stolen property.
The victim, Kenneth Richardson, told authorities that someone swiped the $650 cast aluminum statue from his home on Hephzibah-McBean Road last August, according to a sheriff’s report. Richardson said it was taken from the roof of his home, and he believes the thief needed help since it weighed between 200-300 pounds.
According to investigators, the statue was recovered months ago after Campbell’s Recycling Center alerted them to the sale. The statue was safely returned to its owners a day after the sale. A warrant was issued for Bargeron’s arrest and he was captured Sunday.
The suspect has an unrelated theft charge pending from last August.
