Officials looking into park statue thefts

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

DONNELLSON - The Donnellson police are looking for information regarding a stolen statue from Railroad Park on Mill Street.

According to city clerk Jane Krebill, the bronze statue depicting three children on a log was uprooted from the park sometime late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Krebill said officials believe someone backed a vehicle up and wrapped a chain around the statute and pulled it from an anchoring in the park.

"It was bolted down to concrete. They just yanked it out and dragged it across the street and then down the street," she said Tuesday afternoon.

She said she had seen on social media where another bronze statue had been swiped from Lacy Park in Keosauqua and notified police.

"I saw that someone had taken the statue from Lacy Park on Facebook and I immediately contacted our police and told them what had happened and said we should keep an eye on ours. I got a call back in like 15 minutes and said we were too late, someone had already stolen one."

Monday night, the Donnellson fire department and other volunteers went to the other parks and pulled up some of the other statues in the parks and have them in safe keeping.

She said the statue weighs about 300 pounds and because they are just dragging it off, they are probably going to sell it or melt it down.

"They don't care what shape they're in obviously, so they must going to sell them for the metal."

The statue cost the city of Donnellson $4,250 not including the cost of installation.

Krebill said information has also been gathered regarding chunks of concrete on roadways north of town.

The Lee County Sheriff's office reported two incidents of vehicles hitting large chunks of concrete early Saturday morning, one along Hwy 2 at about 12:30 a.m. and the other on Hwy 61 just off Hwy 2 on the bypass, which was reported being struck at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Sheriff Stacy Weber said a deputy also hit a chunk of concrete but wasn't ready to say all the incidents were related.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Donnellson Police Department at 835-5714 or Lee County Crime Stoppers at 800-382-8900 or online at www.tipsubmit.com.

 

 

donnellson, Keosauqua, Lacy Park, lee county sheriff, police, Railroad Park, statues, stolen

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