A church bell that's more than 100 years old has been returned after it was stolen from a Wayne County church.
Deputies say the bell was stolen on December 30th from a church in the Rosewood community. A trustee and another church member came upon the thieves as they were leaving the church and provided deputies with a description of their vehicle.
A citizen later reported seeing the bell at a local metal dealer and deputies were able to recover the bell and return it to the church. Michelle Barnes of Pikeville, Santonio James of Goldsboro and Brett Warren of Goldsboro were charged with felony larceny, felony possession of stolen goods and obtaining property by false pretenses.
They were jailed on $15,000 bonds, while the bell--worth $2,000--was damaged slightly.
