2 charged in barge theft

Two Elberta men have been accused of removing a 40-foot construction barge from its moorings, loading the vessel onto a trailer and taking it to the home of one of the men, officials said Friday.

Benjamin Lewis Hamilton, 38, and John Joshua Lay, 26, were arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree receiving stolen property, Lt. Alex Smith of the Alabama Marine Police said Friday.

The barge, worth about $49,000, had been taken Sunday from its mooring spot on Long’s Bayou on the Intracoastal Waterway, Smith said.

2 charged in barge theft