'Stolen' city bench returned to Gray

An elderly Gray woman and her caregiver got a scare Thursday when they learned they were the subject of a police bulletin.

The bench they picked up from the side of the road was reported stolen, and Gray police officers and Jones County sheriff's deputies were on the lookout for them.

"They were all tore up about it," Police Chief Adam Lowe said. "It was really a misunderstanding."

Earlier Thursday, Gray Mayor Stephen Tingen had launched a new campaign: "Bring back the bench."

About 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, city workers left a new bench near the sidewalk, in front of Jalapenos Mexican Grill, down the street from Dulles Park.

By 11:30 a.m., witnesses saw the two women back up a silver SUV to the bench, load it in the vehicle and drive off.

"Let's just hope they thought the 6-foot-long, nearly 200 pound bench was just trash left on the side of the road," Tingen had said, trying to keep faith in his constituents.

The mayor has been buying the $700 benches from a discretionary fund and putting them around town. After a restaurant closed in a nearby strip mall, the eatery removed its outdoor benches that had become popular with older residents walking to shops from the Dulles Park residential complex, he said.

Tingen ordered a replacement bench for that stretch of sidewalk, and workers unloaded it Wednesday and wanted to make sure they had it in the correct place before bolting it down.

"When they came back, it was gone," Tingen said. "It aggravated me a little bit."

The mayor was prepared to drop the case -- if the culprits brought it back.

Just after noon Thursday, Lowe got a frantic call from the women, who said they asked local business owners if the bench had been discarded.

No one knew anything about it, so they assumed it was fair game.

"I wish that was the only crime we ever had," Lowe said.

Tingen was relieved to hear that the bench was being returned.

"We just really thank the people for helping us spread the word and get it back," he said. "When you're trying to do something good, you hate for something bad to happen."

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 9:42 PM with the headline "'Stolen' city bench returned to Gray ."