Pieces of bronze statue recovered

MIDWAY — Bronze pieces from a veterans statue on Memorial Hill that was vandalized last month have been recovered.

The Wasatch County Sheriff's Office recovered the pieces and made two arrests after responding to tips Saturday night.

Vandals used a battery-powered saw to destroy the statue on the night of Sept. 23, sawing off the M-16 rifle, dog tags and helmet from the bronze figure and leaving only the boots.

Amanda Szego, 21, was booked into the Wasatch County Jail for investigation of theft, and a 17-year-old who was taken into custody will be referred to 4th District Juvenile Court.

The $8,000 statue, installed on Veterans Day in 2007, symbolizes items commonly left behind when a soldier dies in combat.

A veterans group that cares for the hilltop memorial wants to put a video security system in place before replacing the figure.

"We sure are glad to have it back," said Dan Hofheins, a Vietnam-era Airborne infantry veteran. He said the group will have a makeshift version of the statue, using a real rifle and helmet, when it holds its third annual Veterans Day commemoration on Memorial Hill Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.

To learn more about the memorial or donate toward a security system, visit memorialhillrestoration.com.

— Paul Koepp