'Monster' puts N.C. State student over a barrel

RALEIGH An N.C. State University student faces criminal charges for what is best described as a "barrel monster" built out of construction barrels that towered for a while over Hillsborough Street.

Raleigh police believe the monster was the brainchild of Joe Carnevale, a 22-year-old junior majoring in history. It had a short lifespan, up for less than a day on May 31.

Made of construction barrels owned by a contractor working on the Hillsborough Street round-a-bout project , the monster sported a wide, toothy grin and pointed an extended finger at motorists on the thoroughface near the university's campus.

Though Raleigh police seized the barrel statue on May 31 as evidence, they didn't arrest Carnevale until Wednesday, according to Laura Hourigan, a police spokeswoman. Carnevale is now facing misdemeanor charges of damage to property and larceny. He'll be in court on July 21.

The larceny, according to arrest warrants, came when Carnevale took "three road blocking barrels and damaged them by cutting and screwing them together to make a statue."

The barrel monster's creation was well-documented on a blog, www.nopromiseofsafety.com, maintained by an artist using the moniker "uliveandyouburn." In an email exchange with The News & Observer, "uliveandyouburn" wouldn't confirm if he is the same person as Carnevale, but did say Carnevale has offered to pay for the barrels.

The barrel monster has grown into a bit of local Internet sensation.

A grassroots movement hoping to encourage Wake District Attorney Cilon Willoughby to drop the charges has swelled on the Internet, with dozens of people joining Facebook pages named "Don't Charge Joseph Carnevale" and "Free the N.C. Highway Monster Artist."

For a fuller report on case of the barrel monster, check back with newsobserver.com or the print edition of tomorrow's The News & Observer.

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