(Meriden)– Two northwest Iowa men have been arrested and charged with stealing an 82-year-old bronze bell from a church.
Authorities say Dustin Coates and Anthony Heitman, both of Paullina, stole the bell from the Oakdale Evangelical Free Church in Meriden Sunday night.
The bell was sold at a salvage yard in Lakefield, Minnesota. It was recovered by authorities and will be returned to the church.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says both men have been charged with third-degree theft. They are being held in the Cherokee county jail in lieu of five thousand dollars bond.
The bell has been with the congregation since it was forged in 1926.
(Story from the Associated Press.).
