Head Of Stolen Statue Recovered
Posted January 3, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A two tonne bronze statue of a famed Ukrainian poet disappeared from an Oakville park sometime in late December. Investigators said the figure was cut at the feet to remove it from its stone pedestal.
Detectives didn’t have much to go on until Gary Thomson of Thomson Metals & Disposal in Burlington contacted them this week after he realized someone had sold him stolen goods.
The smelter didn’t know the head of the statue of poet Taras Shevchenko was stolen until Tuesday when he read about it in the paper. He bought the piece, along with some smaller fragments of bronze on Dec. 12 from two men who told him they were disposing of the statue on behalf of the city of Oakville, according to published reports.
As police were interviewing employees at Thomson’s shop, the two suspects who sold the stolen goods reportedly arrived to sell off some more metal and were arrested.
“The police officer chased him across the parking lot, pulled him out of the car, questioned him and later arrested him,” Thomson said.
It’s not known where the rest of the statue is and authorities fear it may have already been melted down.
“I sincerely hope that it’s in some kind of condition that it could be reconstituted. Then I would start to believe in miracles,” adds William Harasym, President, Taras Shevchenko Museum.
Curtis Raae of Oakville has been charged with possession of stolen property and a second man was released without charge.
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