Someone stole one of Fredericksburg's bronze otter statues again

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Fredericksburg Police say a bronze otter statue stolen and vandalized on Friday and Saturday has been returned to police headquarters. A 23-year-old man was charged with grand larceny for the theft, but police are still searching for the vandal. 

Editor's note: The above video is from October 2022, when a different otter statue was stolen and returned. 

Police say the otter, named Ohana, was taken from in front of the James Monroe Museum on Charles Street just after midnight on Saturday. Another person apparently kicked the otter statue around 11:30 p.m. Friday. The kick damaged the rock the statue was mounted on, while others in the group stood by and took videos. A second man came by and took the statue off the rock and put Ohana into the truck of his car.

Police asked for the public's help to find the statue, and successfully identified the man who took it as 23-year-old Gregory Rownson of Fredericksburg. He was charged and released on unsecured bond.

Investigators are still searching for the person who initially kicked the statue.  Surveillance photos of that man are below.

If you recognize the vandalism suspect, you're urged to call police at 540-373-3122 and reference report number 2023-004801,

This is not the first time a Fredericksburg otter statue has been stolen. Last year, an otter named Adeline, who greets people at Hurkamp Park was stolen. Adeline's kidnapping sparked a community campaign complete with donations to a #BringOurOtterHome fund, before the statue was eventually returned.