FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Mooresville man faces five felony charges and three misdemeanors in connection with the theft of artifacts from Fort Dobbs State Historic Site near Statesville.

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Michael Thomas Hadzicki, 30, of Mainview Drive, Mooresville, in a news release on Thursday.

ICSO deputies responded to Fort Dobbs, located at 438 Fort Dobbs Road, on July 30, to investigate a report of theft and trespassing, the sheriff said.

Staff members told deputies that when they arrived to open the site they discovered several freshly dug holes on the property, according tot the news release. 

Security cameras captured footage of a young, white male using a headlamp and a metal detector to search the area, Campbell said, but it was unclear at the time if anything had been stolen from the historic site.

The case was then assigned to Detective Creasy, who identified Hadzicki as the suspect, according to the news release.

During an interview, Hadzicki confessed to trespassing at Fort Dobbs and using his metal detector to unearth several items, Campbell said. He also admitted to being on the property in 2021 and removing artifacts at that time, according to the news release.

Detective Creasy recovered several historical artifacts from Hadzicki, the sheriff added.

Hadzicki was arrested and charged with five counts of felony theft or destruction of property of public libraries or museums and three counts of misdemeanor first-degree trespass. Magistrate Nethkin set  is bond at $5,000.