CHARLESTON — For years Mark Santos and Marvin Terry Jr. dreamed of kidnapping Charleston’s Charlie the Tuna and moving him to Marshfield High School’s football field.

After their post-high school caper went horribly wrong this summer, they say they aren’t likely to stage any more pranks.

The two young men, who wielded a chain saw to slice the wooden tuna statue into filets, now are using shovels, brooms and other equipment to make a better home for its 8-foot successor on the east side of the Charleston bridge.

“We were joking about becoming landscapers after this,” Santos said Tuesday, under a light rain at the site as he shoveled dirt into a green wheel barrow.

A Coos County judge convicted the best friends, both 21, of second-degree criminal mischief in early August and gave each 80 hours of community service in Charleston to make up for their crime.

Since then, they said, they’ve learned the value of keeping their noses clean and their hands off others’ property.

“There’s a line that you have to draw where it’s no longer funny anymore and people’s property and things come into play,” Santos said. “I know I’m not going to take anything like that anymore. I’m not in high school anymore. ... Stuff like that is for high school kids. That’s why they call them high school pranks, right?”

They’ve also come to recognize Charleston’s strong community spirit. The two plan to continue to volunteer in the area after they complete their punishment.

Tuesday morning, Santos and Terry arrived at the Charleston Visitors Center ready to work. Greeted by Mel Campbell, a member of the Charleston Merchants’ Association who operates the center, and Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Shield, the two soon began cleaning the site where the statue once stood. Oyster shells will be placed around the site to make it more attractive.

Campbell said the new statue, carved by Ellen Keeland at Loon Lake, will be placed with a bit of hoopla on May 1 when the Visitors Center reopens for the tourist season. Charlie III is a fish of beauty, she said, with improvements including rotating fins and a base shaped like a seal.

“He’s magnificent,” she said.

Shield said the tuna will be bolted into a bed of cement to prevent other pranksters from getting any bright ideas. It will cost about $1,000 for the replacement statue, landscaping and installation.

“We’re going to install him the same as Charlie Jr. so he can’t go out to sea and spawn,” Shield said.

So far, Campbell and Shield said they are pleased with Terry’s and Santos’ work, and believe they’ve had good attitudes throughout the ordeal. They want to make amends.

In addition to the manual labor, Santos and Terry also have worked at the Charleston Seafood Festival and have assisted the Charleston Rural Fire Protection District.

 “They’re good kids. I’ve related to them very well and they work very hard,” Campbell said. “And I think it’s been a real lesson. ... I think they’ve discovered that digging and hoeing and shoveling is hard work. We hope they don’t pull anymore pranks that go astray.”

Prior to their conviction, Campbell and Shield spoke for the young men, hoping to lighten their punishment with the Coos County district attorney. Terry, a North Bend resident, and Santos said they are thankful for this.

“Rusty and Mel are great ... They’re pretty nice to us for what we did,” Terry said as he began working on the site. “They helped us out. We’ll help them out.”

Santos, who lives in Coos Bay, said he’s gained an appreciation for the work done at the Visitors Center, and has even spent time with Terry helping direct tourists who come to the center for information. He said he hopes to become an auto mechanic or attend culinary school in the future.

 “You’ve got to pay to play. Anything you do that’s not right has consequences,” Santos said.

Campbell and Shield added that while it was upsetting that Charlie was stolen and sliced, the fish had to be replaced. It was infested with termites.

“We tried deworming him numerous times,” Shield teased.

And Charlie III’s new home will be better because of the culprits.

“They can just beautify his new place,” Campbell said. “It was a project we knew had to be done.”