Church bell extensively damaged during reported theft
Jan. 29—NICOLLET — A St. Peter man and woman have been charged with felonies for allegedly stealing and damaging a bell from the Swan Lake Catholic Church in Nicollet County.
Travis John Carlson, 38, and Tonia Lee Marsh, 41, were charged with theft, attempted theft and burglary Friday in Nicollet County District Court.
A Nicollet County sheriff's investigator responded to a report of the bell being found in a ditch Thursday in Brighton Township, according to a release from the Sheriff's Office. The bell was extensively damaged along with the display where it was taken from the church on 49864 Ford Road.
The investigator reportedly found Carlson and Marsh in the immediate area in a truck pulling an empty trailer. He noted tools, straps and ropes inside the truck, similar to what was left near the bell.
Carlson and Marsh were arrested, according to the release, and are also accused of burglarizing a garage from the same area as the church bell.
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