Bronze eagle returns to perch

Updated: Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 8:27 AM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 8:27 AM CDT

RANDOLPH (AP) - A bronze eagle that was stolen from a veterans' memorial in a Columbia County cemetery has been returned in time for a Memorial Day celebration.

The $3,000 eagle is the centerpiece for Memorial Day services in the village of Randolph. It was reported stolen nearly two weeks ago.

A newspaper story about the theft caught the eye of sheriff's detective Bob Neuman in neighboring Dodge County. He had learned of a possible stolen eagle but didn't know from where it was taken.

He tracked down the suspect and retrieved the eagle.

The suspect is a Beaver Dam man in Dodge County Jail on a probation hold. He admitted being in the cemetery when the eagle was stolen, and knew it was stashed in a wooded area.

Neuman says the eagle is scratched but can be repaired.

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