A man who allegedly stole a gorilla statue from a nursing home has been charged after turning himself in to police.
‘Garry’, the 1.5-metre silverback gorilla statue, went missing from the Leith Park retirement complex in St Helena, north-east of Melbourne, on June 6.
Victoria Police this week tracked the statue to the yard of a property in the nearby suburb of Reservoir before returning Garry to the retirement village on Wednesday.
A 33-year-old man from Heidelberg Heights, about 7 miles from Reservoir, turned himself in to police and was interviewed Friday morning.
He has since been charged with theft, handling stolen goods and driving without a licence.
During a raid at his home, police also found 24 suspected stolen driver’s licenses and prescription drugs.
The police air squad had been called in to carry out an undercover flight over the house in Reservoir on Monday before Garry was spotted between two sheds.
Investigators admitted they do not know what prompted the man to allegedly steal the statue.
The 33-year-old man was granted bail and is due to appear before the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on 30 August.
‘Garry’, the 1.5-metre silverback gorilla statue, went missing from the Leith Park retirement complex in St Helena, north-east of Melbourne, on June 6.
Garry was spotted at a Melbourne property during a police flight on Monday.