Suspect charged in theft of statue from Pikesville home; police link man to other copper thefts

Baltimore County police have charged a New Windsor man with trying to steal a bronze statue of a boy with a kite from a Pikesville home in December, and have linked the suspect to other metal thefts around the state.

Michael Francis Griesser, 25, of the 3700 block of Roop Road in Carroll County, is being held in a detention center in lieu of $20,000 bail. He is charged with nine criminal counts, including attempted theft under $10,000 and burglary.

Police said in court charging documents that in addition to the statue, Griesser slso is charged with stealing copper wires and grounding plates, some worth up to $10,000, from cell phone towers in Baltimore County. Police said they used GPS to put the suspect at various locations.

The theft of the boy and kite statue from the front yard of a house on Arodene Road came amid a spate of copper thefts from Baltimore City and County, including gutters and downspouts ripped off homes in Homeland.

Residents of the house on Arodene Road reported that thieves first arrived on their property Nov. 30 and stole a primate statue, taking Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil, leaving behind See No Evil. Grissier has not been linked to that theft, county police say.

Police said that the next day, thieves returned and tried to steal the boy with kite statue, but couldn't fit the 6-foot-tall piece of artwork into the back of a small Honda Civic. A neighbor videotaped the unsuccessful attempt. Police latter recovered the monkey statue at a metal recycling yard.

Police said they are still seeking an accomplice in the case and are investigating other metal thefts from around the area. Still under investigation is the theft on Dec. 3 or Dec. 4 of a ballerina statue taken from a nearby home in Pikesville. That too was recovered by police.