Two men allegedly trying to steal a $10,000 piece of metal from the Army Corps of Engineers were foiled by the night watchman and the Marietta City Police Sunday morning.
"The night watchman down there picked up something on a motion detector and looked around and saw these two yahoos trying to carry off a pretty good size chunk of bronze and aluminum," said Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite.
Though he did not know the weight of the metal, Waite said it was likely very heavy.
"They would get like six feet and have to sit it down and then move another six feet," he said.
The night watchman did not attempt to deter the men, instead waiting for the police to arrive at thesite near the confluence of the Ohio and Muskngum rivers.
Thanks to the thieves' slow progress, and a quick reaction by the Marietta Police Department, the officers were able to sneak up on the thieves and surround them while they were still in the act, said Waite.
Alex Handschumacher, 34, of 10 Browns Road, and Michael Hollingsworth, 33, of 2255 Blue Knob Hill Road, were arrested on charges of misdemeanor criminal trespassing and felony theft.
Handschumacher's bond was set at $5,500. Hollingsworth's bond was set at $9500 because of a previous warrant, said Washington County Sheriff's Office Lt. Jeff Young.
Both men have posted bond.
