Four linked to Sacagawea statue theft

By KATU Web Staff and Associated Press Published: Jan 28, 2008 at 4:12 PM PST Last Updated: Dec 10, 2008 at 3:48 PM PST
Four linked to Sacagawea statue theft »Play Video
These before and after pictures show the damage done to a statue of Sacagawea that was recently stolen from Fort Clatsop and cut up by metal thieves to be sold for scrap. Photos of the damaged statue are courtesy of Bend police.

PORTLAND, Ore. - A statue of Sacagawea and her baby that was stolen earlier this month from a national park was found in multiple pieces at a scrap metal dealer in Bend - and authorities have linked four people to its disappearance.
 
The 5 1/2-foot statue of Sacagawea and Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was taken from Fort Clatsop National Memorial Park near Astoria last weekend.

On Tuesday, a Bend scrap metal dealer notified police about suspicious metal his business had just received. Police identified the metal as the missing statue. The statue, which is worth an estimated $20,000, was cut up and sold for about $200, police said.

The following day, police found someone had tried to sell the statue at a scrap metal yard in the Portland area as well.

On Thursday, three people were arrested: James P. Storns, 45; John A. Kristiansen, 45; and Shawna D. Roberson, 42. Each faces a charge of aggravated first-degree theft by receiving. Kristiansen also is charged with methamphetamine possession.

Through investigation, police also linked a Clatsop County man to the statue's theft. On Sunday, police picked up 42-year-old Marcus D. Bologna of Gearhart. He could face federal charges because the crime occurred at a national park, police said.

Authorities said such crimes occur because people sell metal to get fast cash to buy illegal drugs.