Four men have been arrested in the Br'er Rabbit caper in Putnam County.
The 3-foot statue, which weighs about 250 pounds, was stolen from the grounds of the The Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton on Aug. 7.
Br’er Rabbit was recovered Aug. 15, but the ordeal left its mark, including a missing ear.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday three of the four men arrested are from Eatonton: Shaun Michael Bachman, 19, Adam Bernard Beckstine, 19, and Austin Clark Coleman, 19. The other suspect is Caleb Lawrence Reaves, 18, of Social Circle.
Each was charged with one count of felony theft by taking and released on bond.
"It appears the incident started as a prank, but went awry after the statue was damaged," Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills said.
Georgia author Joel Chandler Harris wrote his famous series of Uncle Remus stories featuring Br'er Rabbit and other animal characters in the 1870s.
--Staff writer George Mathis contributed to this article.
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