Addict's Wild Plan to Pay Debt Involves 800-Pound Theft

On a quiet April morning in Wichita, Kansas, something massive went missing — literally.

Not a car, not cash, not copper — but a cannon.

An 800-pound war relic, over a century old, vanished from a local park in what can only be described as one of the city's most bizarre thefts. At the center of the strange case is a man with an alleged drug problem and an even bigger drug debt.

A Monumental Crime

Police say the historic cannon was stolen from Central Riverside Park sometime before dawn on April 2, 2025. The artifact, a Spanish-American War-era piece that had stood in the park since the early 1900s, was considered priceless to the community. But to Gordon Pierce III, investigators allege, it represented something far more transactional — a potential lifeline from a dangerous $20,000 drug debt.

Pierce, 38, reportedly told law enforcement that after a pound of meth he was meant to sell went missing, his dealer blamed him and threatened to kill him and his family. Under pressure, and with no money or ID to sell scrap metal legally, he allegedly hatched what he may have thought was a genius plan — steal a monument.

Meth, Muscle and Mayhem

Pierce didn't act alone. According to an arrest affidavit reported by KSNW, he recruited a homeless man to assist with the job — offering meth and a pipe in exchange for help.

The pair reportedly smoked meth together before attempting to lift the enormous cannon into Pierce's Chevy Tahoe. When that failed, they tried dragging it with chains tied to the truck's hitch.

It didn't go smoothly. The chain snapped multiple times, leaving the cannon stranded in front of an auto shop at one point. Still, Pierce pressed on, getting another chain from a friend who, once realizing what was happening, wanted no part in the scheme.

Eventually, police allege, Pierce dragged the cannon to a garage, where he used a sawzall to slice it into four or five pieces. He reportedly took several of those fragments to his dealer in hopes of settling the debt. But instead of relief, he got rebuked. The dealer, allegedly furious, called Pierce "stupid" and accused him of bringing unwanted attention to his operation, according to the New York Post.

Arrest, Damage, and Fallout

The next day, April 3, police arrested Pierce after his friend tipped them off. He was reportedly in possession of meth at the time of arrest and told officers the substance was his. Police recovered the cannon, but it was heavily damaged and had been cut apart. The base alone suffered an estimated $10,000 in destruction.

According to city officials, the cannon was valued at over $100,000 and had stood as part of the city's Spanish-American War Memorial for decades.

Now, Pierce sits in the Sedgwick County Jail on a $200,000 bond, facing charges that include theft of property, aggravated criminal damage, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

While the community is relieved to have the cannon recovered, even in pieces, the incident has left many shaking their heads — not just at the loss, but at the wild lengths one man allegedly went to under the pressure of addiction and fear.

References: Man Arrested on Accusation of Stealing Historic 800-Lbs Cannon from Wichita Park to Pay Off $20K Drug Debt | Desperate Kansas Man Arrested for Stealing 800-Pound Cannon from Spanish American War to Settle Drug Debt | Affidavit: Man Stole Historic 800-Pound Cannon for Drug Money