2 Mercer students charged in theft of bear statue

Macon police charged two Mercer University students Thursday with theft by taking and criminal damage to property after they allegedly removed a painted fiberglass bear statue from Tattnall Square Park early Saturday morning.

Police charged Jordan Luke McMahan, 22, of Wesleyan Drive, and Chris Anthony Santiago, 21, of Duluth, with one count each of the felony charges. They were taken to the Bibb County jail, where they later were released on bond.

Police waited to file charges until they got an estimate of the cost to replace the statue from the Macon Arts Alliance. The cost is between $3,500 and $4,000, according to a news release from the alliance.

Larry Brumley, a senior vice president at Mercer, said the two students also will face a student disciplinary committee, but he declined to say more about their case or identify the students by name, citing federal law.

Mercer police contacted the city’s police department after a Mercer officer detained McMahan and Santiago when he observed the two of them kicking the bear statue down the street about 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

The bear is one of six along the Mercer Bear trail, and it was hand painted by artist Connie Redd. The bear was located in Tattnall Square Park at the corner of Adams Street and Coleman Avenue, where it was bolted to a base.

The bear sustained heavy damage and can’t be repaired.

Macon Arts Alliance spokesman Jonathan Dye said Thursday the bear wasn’t insured. He said it took the alliance 18 months from the time it ordered the bears to ship them, paint them, cover them in a sealant and install them. The dedication for the trail took place last week.

The bears were acquired through a grant as part of the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, which is awarded by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. The arts alliance applied for and oversaw the grant, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department installed them.

Dye said the alliance hasn’t announced yet whether it would pursue a civil case against McMahan and Santiago to recover the costs of replacing the bear.

“I can’t confirm a civil action at this time,” he said.

Dye said he hopes something positive can come from the incident.

“I hope parents will teach their children about the value of public art and how they should conduct themselves,” he said.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.

This story was originally published November 4, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "2 Mercer students charged in theft of bear statue."