Detroit Police Recover Stolen Bronze Statue of WWII Hero Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson

On Friday, Detroit police announced that a 600-pound bronze statue of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, who was reported missing earlier this week, has been recovered. The statue, which was removed from Rouge Park on Detroit's far west side, appeared to have been sawed off at the ankles.

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Investigators are of the opinion that the larceny took place on Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. Police conducted a neighborhood sweep and employed surveillance footage from nearby businesses to monitor the movements of a substantial rental truck that departed the vicinity at the time of the larceny, according to Mayor Mike Duggan. The rental records of the truck were associated with a suspect who had a history of committing other offenses.

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The suspect was apprehended by officers in real time, and he subsequently confessed to the offense and returned the statue. The rental truck was equipped with GPS, which enabled the investigation to trace its location, despite the fact that specifics regarding the arrests have not been disclosed.

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Lt. Col. Jefferson, a member of the prestigious Red Tails squadron during World War II, was instrumental in the escorting of bombers over Europe and was subsequently detained as a prisoner of war. Upon his return to Detroit, he became an educator and assisted in the establishment of the local chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen.

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