A 19-year-old Wayne man faces criminal charges after police say he stole a dragon head from a playground and turned it into a marijuana pipe.

Wayne police say Nathan Richard Pearson was recently arrested and charged with larceny — $1,000 or more and malicious destruction of property — $1,000 or more. The charges stem from an incident Wayne police responded to on Christmas Day in 2015.

On that day, police were called to Rotary Park II at 5000 Chamberlain. A caller reported someone had taken a large green dragon head that was a part of a play structure.

After receiving a tip, police reportedly recovered the dragon head from a Wayne residence in May 2016. When police located the dragon head, they reportedly discovered it had been turned into a large pipe used to smoke marijuana.

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A warrant request to arrest Pearson was submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review. The warrant was granted, though Pearson was not located for more than a year and was just recently arrested, said Lt. Ryan Strong of the Wayne Police Department.

He was arraigned June 17 and given a $10,000/10 percent bond. He's scheduled to return to court for a preliminary examination the morning of July 11. That hearing will take place in Wayne's 29th District Court.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

dveselenak@hometownlife.com | 734-678-6728 | Twitter: @DavidVeselenak