Bronze artwork stolen from Denver’s City Park has been recovered by the police after being sold as scrap metal, officials announced on Tuesday. The investigation led to the discovery of seven additional stolen bronze pieces from City Park, in addition to the three pieces recovered from the MLK memorial. The recovered artworks have been returned to Denver Arts & Venues, the organization responsible for managing the monuments.
According to the Denver Police Department, the stolen bronze artwork was cut into four pieces before being sold. The authorities have identified one of the suspects involved in the thefts as 67-year-old Herman Duran. The second suspect remains unidentified, and the police are actively searching for both individuals.
The vandalism and theft of the “I Have a Dream” memorial at City Park were initially reported by the park’s maintenance staff on February 21. However, investigators determined that the pieces were stolen between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. on February 18. The exact date of the theft from the Thatcher memorial fountain is still unknown, and several pieces remain unrecovered.
Initially treated as a bias-motivated crime, the Denver Police Department now believes that the theft was not motivated by bias. The stolen bronze pieces were sold as scrap metal, indicating a different motive. The investigation is ongoing.
