ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspected thief who was seen on camera taking an art piece valued at $21,000 from an art gallery.
According to a post on Facebook, police say two men walked into the Duncan McClellan Gallery on Emerson Avenue South just before 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 11.
Recommended Videos
While one man, seen wearing a red hoodie in surveillance footage, distracted the sales associate in conversation, the second man removed a cast glass sculpture titled “Torso XI” by glass sculptor Latchezar Boyadjiev from a display shelf and tucked it under his clothing.
After the men left the premises, gallery employees later discovered the glass sculpture was missing.
The man who police say distracted the sales associate was arrested on Jan. 7. Willie Wilson, 45, was charged as a principal to grand theft greater than $20,000 but less than $100,000.
The search continues for the man who took the art piece. He was last seen wearing an oversized blue T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, a baseball cap, and sneakers and carrying a dark-colored shoulder bag with a long strip around his neck.
Anyone with information about the man wearing the oversized T-shirt should contact the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD + your tip to TIP411.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: