Denver police have found three bronze pieces from the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Denver’s City Park and are now looking for two men who they believe stole and sold them to a local business as scrap metal.
Police are searching for Herman Duran, 67, and asking for the public’s help in identifying the second suspect, the department said in a statement Tuesday alongside the men’s photos.
Maintenance staff noticed three bronze pieces were missing from the “I Have a Dream” memorial Feb. 21 and reported the theft to the police, the department said. Two days later, investigators found that the three pieces, along with seven bronze pieces from the Joseph Addison Thatcher Memorial foundation in City Park were sold as scrap metal to a local business.
Investigators believe the two men stole the pieces from the “I Have a Dream” memorial between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Feb. 18 and are still working to determine when the pieces from the other memorial were stolen, the department said.
The missing pieces from the ‘I Have a Dream’ memorial included two decorative bronze scrolls and a large rectangular plaque, which was cut into four pieces before it was sold for scrap, according to Brian Kitts, the communications manager for Denver Arts & Venues, which manages both monuments.
A spokesperson from the Denver police department declined to identify the local business the pieces were sold to, citing an ongoing investigation.
“Because the stolen pieces from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘I have a Dream’ monument and Joseph Addison Thatcher Memorial fountain were sold as scrap metal, the incident does not appear at this time to be bias-motivated,” police said.
Investigators’ final findings will be presented to the Denver District Attorney’s Office, which will determine charges against the suspects.
Police found the items and returned them to Denver Arts & Venue, which manages both monuments, the department said.
Investigators are still looking for additional stolen pieces of art and are offering up to $2,000 for information about the whereabouts of both men. Anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.