EARLIER THIS YEAR, Terry Bryant was accused of stealing Frances McDormand’s Oscar statue in the hours that followed the 90th Academy Awards ceremony in March.
Security at the Governors Ball are looking for this guy, who grabbed Frances McDormand’s Oscar and ran out with it. Wolfgang Puck’s photographer stopped him, got the Oscar back, and the guy disappeared back into the ball. Apparently Frances has said to let him go. #Oscars #Drama pic.twitter.com/5tlsx4Ulwt
— Cara Buckley (@caraNYT) March 5, 2018
The 47-year-old, who shared footage of himself attempting to pass off Frances McDormand’s Oscar statue as his own, was subsequently arrested for felony theft.
While Bryant’s lawyer Daniel Brookman argued that there was no intention to ‘deprive the owner of the property on a permanent basis’, a judge this week has ruled that there is sufficient evidence for the trial against Bryant to go ahead.
According to Sky News, the hearing centred upon the statue’s value, with a lawyer for the academy stating that they cost between $2,300 and $2,500, but are – to many recipients – priceless.
While Superior Court Judge Mark Hanasono heard that Frances McDormand did not wish to see Bryant prosecuted, Bryant is due to be arraigned on August 8th, but has been released until then.
Frances, who won the award for her portrayal of Mildred Hayes in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, had brought the award to numerous after-parties and was visibly upset when she realised it was missing.
