Richard Follett
An 80-year-old man has been charged in connection with the theft of historic gold coins taken from the Pony Express Museum.
Richard L. Follett, 80 of Stewartsville, Mo. was charged Tuesday with felony theft/stealing.
According to a probable cause statement a witness saw Follett enter the Pony Express museum and force open a display case containing rare gold coins valued at over $7,000.
Six coins dating back to the 1800s were found missing from the Pony Express Era Coin display last month.
Pony Express Museum Dir. Cindy Daffron told the St. Joseph Post the museum has not had those coins returned.
“Prosecutors said they have no coins at this time,” Daffron said. “At this point all the board wants the world to know is we just want them back.”
According to court documents Follett has a criminal history and has been arrested in the past for endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and violation of an order of protection.
Online court documents show Follett has been released on bail. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday.