Third suspect in Batavia statue toppling turns self in

The third suspect in the toppling of a downtown Batavia statue turned himself in Tuesday morning, more than a month after the $35,000 statue was damaged.

Thomas Bittner, 43, of the 500 block of North Batavia Avenue turned himself in to Batavia police and appeared in court Tuesday morning to face a charge of criminal damage to state-supported property.

Thomas Bittner; Theodore Bittner, also of the 500 block of North Batavia Avenue; and Steve Piron of the 800 block of Karen Road in Sandwich have all been charged after the April 24 toppling of an 8-foot, 750-pound bronze statue, police said.

The crime occurred sometime between midnight and 6 a.m., when the “Self-Made Man” statue was found lying on the sidewalk, pulled off its limestone base, at the corner of River and State Streets, police said.

Private donors paid $35,000 for the statue in the 1990s, which was created by a Colorado artist.

The charge the men face is a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison if convicted.