Student and fellow arrested on charges of melting hole in Emory statue

The statue is said to be worth $50,000

Emory student Ian Heaven and post-doctoral fellow Lucas Lane were arrested this Saturday and face a felony charge of criminal damage to property.

According to a police report obtained by The Tab, a hole was melted in a statue said to be worth $50,000 outside the Emory Health Sciences research building.

The report was made on February 22 when a complainant, Department of Pediatrics Office of Faculty Development Program Coordinator Denise Jacobson, noticed a large dent with black residue in the center of the statue that was not there before, on February 19.

The pair have a 13 year age gap

Upon closer observation, reporting Officer Xavier Nixon noticed small pieces of foil wrap surrounding the statue and “a light white spatter pattern around the dent.”

Ms. Jacobson also noted a moderate-sized hole in the center of an outdoor cafeteria table, but it is uncertain whether this damage is related to the statue.

Police later checked two security cameras which may have recorded the incident.

The Dekalb County Inmate Lookup Database says Lucas’s bail is set at $2,000. Heaven’s bail was set at $1,000, but has since been paid.

According to ResearchGate, Lucas is a post-doctoral fellow in placental development at the Emory Department of Biomedical Engineering.

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