A 45-year-old Elk River woman was arrested Friday
night, and a male family member is being looked at as
another suspect in the theft, said Chief Jeff Beahen.
Police recovered the right shoulder and right hip of
the statue that was the pride of the Thai Buddhist Center of
Minnesota. Each piece weighs about 60 pounds, Beahen said.
The statue, valued at $10,000, was specially made in
Thailand for the center.
"It's
too bad," said Jay Cramer, a temple member. "The whole
community is real sad. It's a sacred piece."
Cramer said there was some relief in knowing that the
statue was stolen for money and not because of bigotry.
The bronze-coated, cast-iron statue of a standing
Buddha was reported stolen on Wednesday. It was taken from
an outside shrine, and no other damage was done to the
property, Beahen said.
On
Thursday, a detective issued a statewide alert to police and
scrap dealers with a photo of the stolen statue.
Scrap
metal is in high demand, and soaring prices are prompting
thefts of all things metal: wire, aluminum siding, catalytic
converters and even beer kegs.
On Aug.
1, a new law took effect in Minnesota requiring scrap
dealers to keep detailed records of all transactions.
Sellers must show state-issued IDs, and dealers must pay
them with checks or electronic transfers and take pictures
of them and their vehicles.
About
12:45 p.m. Friday, the detective got a call from a recycling
company in Monticello, saying they had taken in two pieces
of scrap they believed to be from the statue.
The
police took the pieces, and with the help of the recycler
were able to identify the woman.
"There
are another 10 pieces or so, and I hope the other recycling
companies are as diligent in talking with us," Beahen said.
Found along with the two Buddha pieces at the scrap yard was
a catalytic converter that could be a match for one that was
reported stolen the night before, Beahen said.
Elk
River police found the woman and confronted her, but she was
uncooperative, Beahen said.
So
police got a warrant and searched the woman's property about
7:20 p.m. Friday. She was arrested then.
When
police executed the search warrant, they recovered a "large
number" of acetylene torches, battery-operated saws and
other equipment often used to cut wire and metals. Beahen
said some of the cutting equipment was stolen and could be
traced back to burglaries that happened last year.
"Hundreds of thousands of feet" of sheathing that once
covered copper wire lay in piles around the property, he
said.
Police
also found a stolen boat and trailer, as well as marijuana,
Beahen said.
