The man suspected in the theft of several animal statues from Gainesville’s Memorial Park Cemetery was arrested over the weekend after he led law enforcement officers on a chase in a stolen pickup truck.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators had issued warrants for the arrest of Santiago Morales Villalobos, 24, of Gainesville on August 30, after they determined the suspect was responsible for the thefts of at least four brass animal statues from the cemetery.
Villalobos had been at large until Saturday, October 8, when deputies received notification that a Ford F-150 reported stolen in the City of Gainesville, was located at the entrance to Amberleigh Trace subdivision on Poplar Springs Road.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the driver of the truck, later determined to be Villalobos, drove directly at one of the patrol vehicles, forcing the deputy to swerve to avoid a collision. Villalobos sped from the scene to Willow Ridge subdivision, where the stolen truck was found unoccupied at a residence. Deputies found Villalobos after a search of the house.
Villalobos was charged with felony aggravated assault on a peace officer in connection with the October 8 incident; he was also charged with six misdemeanor traffic violations. In addition, the suspect was charged with theft by receiving stolen property for the theft of the truck. Villalobos faces theft by taking charges for the August statue thefts. At last report, Villalobos remained in the Hall County Jail.
A second suspect in the cemetery statue thefts was arrested on September 13. Abigail Magdalena Reyes, 25, of Gainesville was charged with theft by receiving. She is out of jail on bond at this time.
