HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A man will spend the next few months in jail after officials say he pleaded guilty to stealing several statues from a Hall County cemetery.
According to court documents obtained by our partners at Channel 2 Action News, 25-year-old Santiago Morales Villalobos of Gainesville pleaded guilty to stealing at least four brass animal statues from Memorial Park Cemetery in Aug. 2022.
During the investigation, officials learned that the pickup truck seen in cemetery surveillance footage was registered as stolen. They watched as an individual, later identified as Villalobos, picked up the statues and placed them inside the vehicle.
In Oct. 2022, deputies were tipped off that a Ford F-150, reportedly stolen in the City of Gainesville, was located at the entrance to the Amberleigh Trace subdivision on Poplar Springs Road. Authorities confirmed that Villalobos was behind the wheel.
When deputies arrived at the scene, officials said Villalobos drove directly at one of the patrol vehicles, forcing the deputy to swerve to avoid a collision. Villalobos sped away from the scene to the Willow Ridge subdivision, where the stolen truck was found at a residence.
Deputies searched the house and arrested Villalobos.
Villalobos was sentenced to 60 days in prison, followed by 12 months of probation.