Police have charged a resident of Spanish with stealing three copper deer statues at the Highway 108 turnoff.
The statues were first reported missing in April while the pavilion was still closed for the winter and a passerby noticed that they were missing.
A 35-year-old from Spanish was arrested on Wednesday and is facing a charge of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Following is a full release from the Ontario Provincial Police on the arrest:
Police arrest person for three stolen copper deer statues and sold for scrap metal.
On April 22, 2024, the East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a theft of three copper deer statues from a Tourist Information Centre at the junction of Highways 17 and 108 in the Township of the North Shore.
The complainant advised there was a deer display of a doe and her fawn and some of the deer were cut from the display. The City of Elliot Lake estimate each deer to be valued at approximately $20,000.
On July 3, 2024, a recycling business in Sudbury contacted OPP to advise that a person brought in copper to be recycled, which were later identified as the three deer statues. The business learned that the deer statues may have been stolen, but unfortunately, they had already been scrapped.
On Aug. 14, 2024, police arrested Travis Budge, 35 years of age from Spanish, and was charged with — possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
The accused is scheduled to appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on Oct. 10, 2024.