Collegiate Times

Charges against a man for the 2006 theft of a Hokie Bird statue were dropped just hours after the hearing at the Montgomery County Circuit Court on Sept. 4.

Judge Ray Grubbs convicted Michael Scott Russell, 22, of petit larceny at the recent hearing, but later dropped the charge completely, leaving Russell with a clean record.

"It is fairly common for charges to be reduced or dropped in cases like this. The judge recognizes that everyone makes mistakes and if you don't have a record and you show remorse, they will often reduce the charges," said attorney and associate professor of urban affairs and planning Jesse Richardson. "It is unusual, however, for the judge to drop the charges after a conviction."

Russell, along with Matthew Alan Hanson, had been Tech students at the time when they were accused of taking the Hokie statue called "Motion Technology for Sea, Land, Air, and Space" from its location at Moog Components Group on North Main Street in Blacksburg.

Russell had originally been charged with grand larceny and destruction of property during a Dec. 3, 2006 hearing. The destruction of property charge was later dropped.  Grubbs reduced his other charge to a misdemeanor after hearing that Russell had been on good behavior since the incident.  Hanson, who was also charged with grand larceny and destruction of property, will have his case heard in May 2009.

"There was probably some sort of agreement reached between all affected parties, and the judge dropped the charges with the stipulation that (Russell) remained on good behavior," said Sgt. Nathan O'Dell of the Blacksburg Police Department, referring to the Sept. 4 hearing.  He also added that "this sort of thing is not that unusual."

The Hokie Bird was one of 75 hand-painted statues created through the "Gobble de Art" project placed around the town of Blacksburg in February 2006.

Diane Akers, president of the Blacksburg Partnership, which sponsored the project, said that the company's goal with the project "was to reinvest in the community" as the money raised in the sale of the birds went toward "economic development and downtown revitalization."  Each bird is valued at roughly $7,500.