Men arrested for stealing antlers from NRA convention
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two men working for an exhibition service at the National Rifle Association convention over the weekend were arrested late Sunday for stealing two sets of elk antlers.

According to Pittsburgh police, the antlers were stolen from a vendor's booth while the operator was waiting to pack up his truck at the loading dock of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

An employee at Velvet Ranch, a hunting lodge in Rexburg, Idaho, confirmed the antlers were stolen from the company's booth but could not elaborate on what occurred.

The owner, who did not return messages left for him, told Pittsburgh police the antlers were priceless.

The theft was reported about 8:45 p.m. Sunday. Security officers in the area spotted two men on the east side of the convention center walking with the antlers, and they were detained.

Stephen C. Lee, 44, of Cumberland, Md., and Gary C. Felts, 49, of Joppa, Md., are charged with theft and criminal conspiracy, and taken to the Allegheny County Jail.

Both men worked for Brede Exposition Services, of Beltsville, Md.