Police investigating after statue vandalized near Butler Art Ins - WFMJ.com Police investigating after statue vandalized near Butler, suspects photo released
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Police investigating after statue vandalized near Butler, suspects photo released
The large bronze sculpture is called "Cry Of Vengeance", it depicts a Native American man mounted on a horse and it is now without its essential accessory.
Police say between Wednesday, March 20 and Sunday, March 24, a white male wearing a grey hoodie and a backpack walked by the statue, took the spear and left towards downtown Youngstown.
Louis Zona, executive director of The Butler Institute of American Art told 21 News that this is a gut wrenching act.
"It grabs you when you realize that somebody had the audacity and the lack or morality to want to steal something like a spear from a sculpture, " Zona said.
The sculpture has been a part of the Butler Art's outdoor exhibit at the Butler Education Center, a former church next to the museum, for about five years.
New York artist Greggory Perillo created the piece and a local physician gifted the statue to the museum.
Zona hopes this kind of theft does not become a trend, which would result in the museum having to remove outdoor art.
According to a police report, an unknown suspect stole the spear held by a statue owned by the Butler Institute of American Art. The statue in question (pictured above) is located on Tressel Way near the roundabout at the Butler's education center next to the museum.
Police say this incident was caught on camera. At this time, no suspects have been caught.
Perillo, who had been called the last of the great American Western and Native American artists, died in 2021.
Zona said it is going to be difficult to replace the spear and could cost up to $400.
