DENVER — A theft suspect was paid $394 for numerous metal pieces that were stolen from the Martin Luther King Jr. monument and a fountain at Denver's City Park last month, according to an arrest affidavit from Denver Police.
Police later spoke with Denver's public art collection manager, who described the missing pieces as being molded in bronze metal. He described them as"very unique" and estimated the value of the theft and vandalism to be about $85,000.Two days later, on Feb. 23, an employee called and said he had seen the alert and believed they had the stolen pieces. Police responded and confirmed the items were there, but noted that the larger piece had been cut into several smaller pieces.
Investigators spoke with the employee who had collected the items from Herman Duran. He said Herman Duran was with another person who waited in the car. That employee said he asked Herman Duran if the items were from a cemetery, and he responded that they were not. He asked where they came from, and according to the affidavit, Herman Duran said he got them from a family member.Everyone who sells scrap metal must sign a waiver certifying that they're the owner.