Two men were arrested in connection with the burglary of a Hardy office where Native American artifacts and sports memorabilia were stolen and an attempt was made to set the building on fire, authorities said.
The Sharp County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the incident on June 14, after a victim reported a break-in at an office on Cope Avenue. The victim told Deputy Creston Duncan that several days earlier, someone had entered the building’s basement through a window but did not take anything.
Surveillance footage from a doorbell camera recorded two men breaking into the office at approximately 1:47 a.m. on June 13. According to the report, one man was seen cutting a hole in the floor and entering the office, then letting the second man inside. The suspects appeared to shine a smartphone flashlight directly into the camera before disabling it.
The victim reported that several items were stolen, including a large collection of arrowheads, a Duck River sword artifact, an iron rock mask from the Cahokia Mounds, framed sports jerseys signed by Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, and Julius Erving, a sports card collection, and Beanie Babies bearing the name of the victim’s daughter. The estimated value of the stolen property was $28,700, and authentication papers for several items were provided to authorities.
Officers observed evidence of attempted arson, including areas on the floor where magazines and other materials appeared to have been burned.
Deputies later visited the residence of a suspect, identified as Sharp, on Floral Road in Concord. When they arrived, Sharp fled into nearby woods but was apprehended. Officers observed items resembling the reported stolen goods in plain view and left to obtain a search warrant. Upon returning, they seized items including Beanie Babies, a sports jersey, and arrowheads. Sharp was arrested and taken into custody.
In a post-Miranda interview, Sharp admitted to the break-in and named Dawson as an accomplice. He told investigators that Dawson had taken most of the stolen items. Authorities said the recovered property at that time was valued at approximately $500.
On July 16, Dawson was interviewed and also admitted to the burglary and theft. He told officers that the pair had been “put up to the acts,” but did not elaborate further. He led police to two locations where some of the stolen property had been hidden. Officers recovered a trash bag containing sports cards, two arrowheads, and a large Native American artifact. An anonymous individual later returned two boxes of artifacts to police on Dawson’s behalf.
Both suspects face charges related to burglary, theft of property, and attempted arson.
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