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Truck driver pleads not guilty in Oscars theft
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A truck driver has pleaded not guilty in connection with the theft of 55 Oscar statuettes, all but three of which were found near a garbage container.
A second suspect arrested in the case, a dock worker, was to be released, authorities said.
Lawrence Ledent, a 38-year-old truck driver for Roadway Express, was arraigned Tuesday on a single count of grand theft. Authorities allege he stole the coveted trophies two weeks ago, prompting an intense manhunt ahead of this Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.
Ledent's attorney, Jay Jaffe, said outside court that his client was "a dupe in this matter" and did not steal the awards. Jaffe said he believes that police think there were at least five people involved in the heist.
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A judge ordered Ledent held in lieu of $20,000 bail. If convicted, he could face a maximum of three years in prison.
Fifty-two of the 55 missing Oscar prizes were recovered during the weekend after a junk salvager, rummaging through a garbage container, found them next to a trash bin and contacted authorities.
Police said the stolen Oscars were valued at about $18,000.
Deputy District Attorney Gregson A. Somes said prosecutors declined to file charges against a second suspect, Anthony Hart, 38, a Roadway dock worker.
Somes said currently there is insufficient evidence against Hart to charge him.
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RELATED SITES:
The official Academy Awards site
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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