Police recover stolen 58-foot bridge in Ohio, suspect charged

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Police in Ohio said they have arrested a suspect accused of stealing an entire 58-foot pedestrian bridge that was being temporarily stored in a field.

The Akron Police Department said David Bramley, 63, of Sharon Township, was arrested and charged with felony theft after a search warrant executed on a property in Medina County resulted in the partially disassembled bridge being recovered.

Police said Bramley allegedly paid a local trucking company for a crane service, and the crane was used to lift the bridge onto and off of a vehicle used to transport it from the Akron field at which it was being stored to the Medina County property.

The bridge formerly served as a pedestrian walkway along the Little Cuyahoga River in Middlebury Run Park, but was moved to an open field as part of a wetlands restoration project.

Police said the city had planned to repurpose the bridge in another location, but discovered it had been stolen from the storage field.

Authorities did not reveal any possible motive for the theft.