In a turn of events concerning St. Paul's artistic landscape, a man has been apprehended for his role in the theft and dismemberment of a cherished bronze statue of the esteemed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Saint Paul Police Department took to social media to reveal that Dustan Charles Schmitt, 37, has been charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office with felony receiving stolen property. The announcement came following his botched attempt to sell the sliced pieces of the sculpture-like metal chunks to Northern Metal Recycling.
An alert employee at the recycling company contacted authorities on Feb. 11 after Schmitt unsuccessfully tried to dislodge pieces of the ill-gotten statue. The astute Northern Metal Recycling employee managed to retain some of the pieces before Schmitt made his escape. Officers were then able to recover parts of the Fitzgerald likeness, a purloined metal plaque, and a bird originally belonging to Unity Church – these had been missing since January 26.
As the investigation unfolded, Saint Paul SWAT officers, executing a search warrant on Feb. 13, visited a house at the 1100 block of Mclean Avenue and arrested Schmitt in a smoothly executed operation. There, they uncovered tools indicative of his illicit activities – a propane tank, a blow torch, and several torch heads.
Acknowledging the integral role of the recycling company in thwarting the suspect's plans, Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry lauded their cooperation. "We want to thank Northern Metal Recycling for their vigilance and commitment to upholding the new state law which requires anyone looking to sell scrap metal copper worth more than $25 to first obtain a license," he said. He praised the employee, "whose intuition helped us recover what’s left of this sentimental piece of Saint Paul history, while also likely preventing additional metal thefts from happening in our community."
Despite the recovery of some parts of the statue, additional pieces remain at large. The Saint Paul Police Department continues its appeal to the public, asking anyone with information to call 651-291-1111. They hope to restore the figurative remains of the Fitzgerald statue, which holds a special place in the city's collective memory and historical identity.
