Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Lt. Bruce Bradbery of the Blacksburg Police Department takes the recovered “Farmer Hokie” out of storage Tuesday.

Hokie Bird hits

Since the Gobble de Art project began in February 2006, several of the 75 bird statues have been damaged or stolen. Here’s the butcher’s bill:

• July: “Hiker Hokie,” bashed.
• August: “A Bird You Can Bank On,” stolen; “Blacksburg — Something for Everyone,” damaged.
• September: “eLearning Gobbler,” bashed; “Bloom n’ the Burg,” stolen; “Word Bird,” bashed; “The Best Times,” bashed.
• December: “Motion Technology for Sea, Land, Air and Space,” stolen.
• March: “Farmer Hokie,” stolen; “Cultivating Learning,” bashed.
• Various other birds have sustained minor damage including scratches and theft of accessories such as keys, bells and a hiking pole.

BLACKSBURG -- "Farmer Hokie," one in a string of severely damaged Hokie Bird statues, is back in town and may soon be reunited with his feet.

The cheerful-looking mascot was ripped from its pedestal in front of the Blacksburg Municipal Building the weekend of March 24 and spirited away, perhaps to Charlottesville.

The bird was returned to Blacksburg police late Monday night, Lt. Bruce Bradbery said Tuesday. But by whom, Bradbery said he did not know.

Police are investigating a group of University of Virginia fraternity pledges. According to UVa officials, the pledges admitted to swiping the statue.

Carol Wood, UVa's assistant vice president for Public Affairs, said Monday that the students wrote a letter of apology and offered to pay the Blacksburg Partnership, the owner of the bird, $10,000 for repairs. But she did not know the name of the fraternity involved or the identities of the students.

Wood wrote in an e-mail that she could not release the apology. The partnership has declined to release the document because of the ongoing police investigation.

Blacksburg police would not confirm or deny they have the letter of apology, and Aaron Laushway, UVa's director of fraternity and sorority life, did not respond Monday or Tuesday to phone calls or an e-mail seeking comment.

Bradbery said that people who speak to the press about evidence in an ongoing police investigation open themselves up to being subpoenaed for court testimony. Whoever took the bird could be charged with felony destruction of property or grand larceny, also a felony, Bradbery said. Police estimate that each bird is worth $7,500.

Since the 75 statues went on display last year, 10 have been bashed or stolen. At least five others have sustained minor damage. That's a much higher rate of vandalism than project organizers expected in February 2006, when the first bird in the Gobble de Art program was put on display.

In comparison, out of 125 Georgia Bulldogs statues placed around Athens, Ga., for a similar project, only one was vandalized, said partnership director Diane Akers. She had no idea why the Hokie Birds had been targeted, but "It's just been sad." The partnership compiled the Georgia data through its own research.

The partnership is offering a $1,000 reward for tips related to any case of Hokie Bird vandalism.

Painted by local artists, many of the statues have been sold for $5,000 to $15,000 each as a fundraiser for the partnership, a nonprofit organization that works with Blacksburg officials on economic development projects.

Others, including "Farmer Hokie," are still for sale. Akers said she was optimistic the statue could be repaired. Depending on the damage, repairs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Town Manager Marc Verniel said he thought most of the bashing and theft were "crimes of opportunity." Mix college students and alcohol with public art on a weekend and sometimes you get damage, he said.

Another recent bird bashing resulted in felony charges against two Virginia Tech students.

The mascot program is still popular despite the vandalism, Akers said. All the birds stolen so far have been recovered, and the partnership would consider such a program again. The statues would probably be designed and displayed differently, however.