NC State student Joseph Carnevale, the artist behind the Traffic Barrel Monster, has been arrested for stealing the barrels and "cutting and screwing them together to make a statue," which apparently is a misdemeanor in North Carolina.
Carnevale goes by the name "uliveuburn" and has been a fixture in the Raleigh-area street art scene for a while, notable for his creation of the Boylan Bridge Angry Man. Given the similar theme and creativity it didn't take the local police long to decide the 21-year-old is to blame. The total cost of the damage has been estimated at $360 and a court case is scheduled for July 21st. (H/T to Nerium, Ray) [WRAL, The Smoking Gun]