Man Accused Of Stealing Veteran's Purple Heart Medal, Trading It For Soda

Police in North Carolina arrested a man they said stole a veteran's Purple Heart medal and traded it for soda.

Deputies arrested 31-year-old Charles Aaron Carr after he allegedly broken into the home of a deceased Vietnam War veteran and stole several items, including two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and nearly a dozen medals and ribbons, WBTV reports. Detectives also claim that Carr traded one of the Purple Hearts, awarded to military members wounded or killed while serving, for a two liter bottle of Code Red Mountain Dew.

Erica Laws has kept the medals of her father, Daniel Wayne Laws, at their family home near Lenoir since he passed away in 2016, per WSOC. Laws completed two tours of duty during the Vietnam War, achieved the rank of staff sergeant, and received several accolades, including the medals.

"It was awful. I mean, it hurts more than anything," she said. "You just feel violated because they went through everything."

Carr is also accused of stealing some items from around the house and an ATV from an outside shed, but the missing medals hit Laws the most.

"It just got me right here because you can't replace it," she said. "I felt so bad because he protected the country and I can't even protect his memory."

According to WBTV, one Purple Heart medal has been returned to the family, but police are still searching for the three other missing accolades.

Carr is facing several unrelated charges while detectives continue investigating the missing medals.