Artist with no arms says he was ‘easy target’ for thief who stole supplies in Georgia
An artist with no arms says he became an “easy target” for a thief in Georgia.
Michael Davenport stepped away from his work and came back to find someone had stolen his canvases, markers and cash, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said last week in its case report.
“Bad people, they look at it as this is an easy target and it hurt me so bad,” Davenport told WGCL. “I started breaking down and crying. All my tools are gone. What am I going to do?”
The alleged theft outside an Academy sports store caught the attention of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
“This is absolutely outrageous!” his campaign tweeted Monday. “I’m stopping by @Academy on Atlanta Highway next time I’m home in @VisitAthensGA to help re-fill Michael Davenport’s donation box.”
Davenport uses his mouth to draw after losing his arms in an “electrical accident,” according to WGCL. He is known for making artwork that features the University of Georgia’s bulldog mascot, multiple news outlets report.
Now, moments caught on camera offer a clue in his case.
Police are trying to identify an unknown person seen getting out of a car and taking Davenport’s supplies, spokesperson Geoffrey Gilland wrote in an email to McClatchy News.
It wasn’t the first time the artist was the victim of a crime, officers say.
In June, someone came behind Davenport and used a glass bottle to hit him in his head, according to a police report and the Athens Banner-Herald.
An arrest was made in connection with the alleged attack, which impacts Davenport until this day, according to WAGA.
“I do have to sit down now because of that,” he told the station. “My body has been through so much and I thank God every day I’m able to get out do what I do to motivate people.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Artist with no arms says he was ‘easy target’ for thief who stole supplies in Georgia."
