OPP have arrested a man after three more copper deer statues were stolen from a northern Tourist Information Centre and sold for scrap metal.
The centre is at the junction of Highways 17 and 108 in the Township of the North Shore. A spokesman says five statues have now been stolen. Each statue is valued at $20,000 say police.
A popular rest stop for Highway 17 travellers, the city-maintained Trailhead Pavilion marks the start of the 120-kilometre Deer Trail Driving Tour for tourists and the display of metal deer outside the info centre is a well-known landmark.
Steve Antunes, Elliot Lake's Economic Development Manager, said at the time that the statues had been on the site for many years and were popular with people who stop and use the rest area and the tourism information booth.
"They're a thing that people stop and touch and pet or take a picture," said Antunes.
On April 22 the East Algoma OPP responded to a report of the theft of the copper deer statues.
The statues were first reported missing while the pavilion was still closed for the winter and a passerby noticed they were missing.
See: Oh deer! City officials want to know who stole the statues from the Trailhead Pavilion
"The complainant advised there was a deer display of a doe and her fawn and some of the deer were cut from the display," says Constable Bev Gauthier.
On July 3 a recycling business in Sudbury contacted OPP to advise that a person bought in copper to be recycled, which was 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," explained Gauthier.
On August 14 police arrested Travis Budge, 35, from Spanish who is charged with "Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000."
Budge is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on October 10.
With files from Elliotlaketoday.ca
