| Trial in theft of head from dog statue begins |
| Thursday, 22 July 2004 | |
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By RAY WEIKAL
07/21/2004 OTTUMWA - A teen-ager testified Tuesday that his friend, Nicholas Gaskill, was the one who stole the head off a well-known dog statue at the Ottumwa Cemetery earlier this year. The teen's testimony was at the heart of the case against Gaskill, who is accused of the theft and other vandalism charges in juvenile court at the Wapello County Courthouse. Gaskill, 15, is alleged to have removed the head of the statue some time during latter part of February. He also is charged with vandalizing several other headstones and memorials and stealing two grave medallions. Gaskill wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt with an American flag with the words "The United States of E-merica." He sat silently and took notes on a yellow legal pad through-out the afternoon. Municipal Cemeteries Supervisor Robert Swanson testified that he called the Ottumwa Police Department after a cemetery patron noticed the damaged statue on the morning of Feb. 29. "That statue was a landmark in Ottumwa," he said, adding that it will take about $4,000 to repair the dog. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12418097&BRD=2575&PAG=461&dept_id=513091&rfi=6 |