Stolen golden dragon found at a Richland junkyard house

A 400-pound golden dragon statue stolen from a Richland lot was located in a debris-filled yard after a Facebook post led the owner to the property, and neighbors and friends helped recover and return it.

Collin Hooper recovered a large golden dragon statue that had been taken from his undeveloped lot in Richland. He had bought the roughly 6-foot, 400-pound aluminum sculpture for $1,500 and placed it on his property. Thieves sawed through the chain securing it and it disappeared last May. A post by his wife in a local Facebook group helped point them to the statue's location. Key facts: - The statue is a roughly 6-foot, 400-pound solid aluminum dragon that Hooper had displayed on his lot. - Thieves sawed the chain and removed it from the property last May; there were no nearby cameras to identify them. - A Facebook post by Jenessa Hooper generated tips, including a message from the estranged wife of a man with a debris-filled yard on Hains Avenue. - The yard had many piled items and, according to the report, belonged to Lee A. Green III, who had been jailed recently. - On March 22, a group of seven people cleared a path, used metal skids to slide the painted statue through the yard, and moved it onto a truck to return it to Hooper's lot. Summary: The statue was identified by matching paint and remaining traces of the original gold finish and has been returned to its former spot on Hooper's property. Hooper thanked the friends and neighbors who helped with the recovery and several people posted online that they were glad to see the dragon back. Undetermined at this time.