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Police arrest 2 in theft of abstract copper sculpture

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police have arrested two people on suspicion of stealing a rare copper sculpture from a Des Moines yard and selling it for scrap.

The Des Moines Register reports that Robert Dean Olson Jr., 53, and Timothy Arthur Rhiner, 53, both of Des Moines, are in custody and facing charges of first-degree theft.

Police say the men stole the abstract sculpture by the French artist Dominique Mercy sometime early Friday. The sculpture, valued at nearly $8,000, was found Monday at a scrap metal yard, but it had already been cut into pieces.

Police say the scrap yard’s records show the men received less than $200 for the copper sculpture.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com

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AP-WF-09-20-13 1044GMT