Police cast wide net, hope to reel in Koi fish thieves

City leaders in a west Georgia town are casting a wide net, hoping to catch a group of fish thieves suspected of making off with six to eight Koi fish that cost up to $3,000 each.

Villa Rica City Manager David Milliron took to Facebook this week, pleading for help from the public for leads about the theft, believed to have occurred late last month.

Police say the fish vanished from city-owned pond outside the Pine Mountain Gold Museum, which showcases the city’s role in Georgia’s gold mining history.

Museum manager Wesley Berninger told police that three men were seen on surveillance video acting suspiciously and later fishing in the pond adjacent to the gem mining booth the night of Aug. 29.

The city manager says they were driving an SUV, possibly with a North Carolina plate.