Tips lead police to suspects accused of stealing and scrapping Sperry library statue
SPERRY, Okla. – Two men are in custody after police say they stole a bronze statue from the Sperry Library, cut it into pieces and sold it for scrap, a case investigators say was solved largely because community members spoke up.
Q: What are the suspects accused of doing?
A: Police say Carl Robinson II and Christopher Klimcak stole a 225-pound bronze statue from the front porch of the Sperry Library. Investigators estimate the statue was worth more than $13,000. Police say the men cut the statue into pieces and sold it at a Turley recycling yard for about $400.
Q: How did the theft happen?
A: Surveillance video shows two men walking up to the library around 3:30 a.m., lifting the statue and carrying it away. Sperry police say the men took the statue to a home, cut it apart and later sold the pieces.
Q: How were police able to identify the suspects?
A: After news of the theft became public, police say tips began coming in through Crime Stoppers. Investigators narrowed their focus to Robinson and Klimcak, who were already in jail on unrelated charges involving shoplifting and running from police.
Sperry officers also noticed distinctive black-and-white shoes worn by one of the suspects in the library surveillance video. Owasso police confirmed they had photos of the same shoes from a recent arrest, and investigators later checked Robinson’s jail property, where police say the evidence matched.
Q: What role did other agencies play?
A: Police say multiple agencies worked together on the case, including the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Tulsa Police and Owasso Police. Body camera footage shows the two men being arrested after leading Owasso police on a pursuit shortly after the theft…