Second man charged in theft of bronze statues from Waukegan Public Library

A second person has been charged in connection with last month’s theft of two bronze statues from the Waukegan Public Library that were sold for scrap at a fraction of their value.

John Anthony Davis, 25, of the 300 block of North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Waukegan, was held Tuesday in the Lake County jail on $50,000 bond on a charge of felony theft from a government property, according to Waukegan police.

“He actually turned himself in. He knew we were looking for him,” Waukegan police Cmdr. Gabe Guzman said.

Davis joins Daniel Ramos, 30, of the same address, who was arrested last week on the same charge. He remains jailed on $50,000 bond.

Police say those were the only two involved in the theft overnight May 29 to May 30 of the “Little Scholar” and “Imagine That” statues from the courtyard of the library at 128 N. County St.

Police say the pair removed the statues, which each weighed about 75 pounds, from their bases. Valued at about $15,000, the statues were sold to a scrap company in Chicago for $268.80, police said. Both were melted down.

Court dates have been set for July 9 for Ramos and July 12 for Davis.

Library officials said the statues, among 14 in the courtyard, were cemented and bolted in place. Security cameras were installed after the theft.

The statues were insured and the library is trying to determine whether to replace them with replicas, commission a new statue or put money toward a fund for a statue to honor the late famed author Ray Bradbury, who was born in Waukegan.