Donnellson chief says arrests coming in statue theft

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

DONNELLSON - Police officials in Donnellson said an arrest could be made over the weekend surrounding the theft and destruction of a statue from Railroad Park on Mill Street.

Police Chief Brad Roberts said Friday afternoon that pieces of the statue have been recovered from Grandinetti's Metal Recycling yard in Mt. Pleasant which is owned and operated by Philip Grandinetti. However Roberts said that he didn't foresee any charges against the ownership of the recycling yard.

The statue depicted three children on a log and was valued at over $4,000 not including the cost of installation at the park. It is suspected to have been taken during the late hours last Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Around the same time frame, another statue was taken from Lacey-Keosauqua State Park in Van Buren County. That statue, depicting a Civil Conservation Corp worker has also been recovered from the recycling yard. That statue is valued at over $20,000.

"We're still investigating our end of it," Roberts said late Friday. "I would say at this point the two incidents are related and we're expecting to make our arrests tomorrow."

"We don't anticipate any charges against Mr. Grandinetti as he's been cooperating fully with the investigation. We have other suspects."

The statue was recovered by a city employee who went to Mount Pleasant to retrieve it, according to Roberts.

"It's completely in pieces," he said.

He said the arrests will carry a 2nd-degree theft charge plus restitution additional damage and the costs involved in that. Under Iowa Code, 2nd-degree theft is a Class D felony and, upon conviction, can carry a punishment of up to five years in prison with fines ranging from $750 to $7,500.

A spokeswoman for the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department said the incident is still under investigation and no further information would be released at this point.

Brad Roberts, county, crime, donnellson, Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, lee county, Railroad Park, statues, theft, Van Buren County

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