The Margaret, the 108-year-old sloop beached on Teach’s Point near Bath by Hurricane Irene last year, has had her bronze ship’s wheel returned to her, courtesy of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Owner Captain “Buck” Edwards spotted the Margaret’s missing wheel at Poor Boy’s Iron and Metal (now Foss) in Belhaven and alerted the authorities, according to Maj. Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The wheel, along with numerous bronze stanchions and other assorted hardware was reported stolen last March 19, according to a sheriff’s office press release. When the owner came across the stolen items, the items were seized by investigators and returned to their owner, Watson said.
Aug. 21, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua Floyd Frazier, 20, of Wilson Lane, Winterville; on Sept. 13, Stephen Cruze Foster, 24, of Loop Road, Belhaven was arrested. Both were charged with one count each of felony larceny and one count each of obtaining property by false pretenses.