Louisiana investigators arrest two men who allegedly stole painting
Michael Ostrager, 27, and 35-year-old Harley Brown have been arrested.
Law and Crime
Two men suspected of stealing a painting by Louisiana-based artist Sabrina Schmidt from an art space in Arabi, a small suburban area outside New Orleans, have been arrested.
Michael Ostrager, 27, and 35-year-old Harley Brown have been arrested for the theft, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.
The men are each facing charges of simple burglary and illegal possession of stolen things valued between $5,000 and $25,000, authorities said.
After the sheriff’s office first published news of the theft, the Schmidt’s painting was returned to the location.
Louisiana artist’s painting stolen from Arabi art space
Investigators are seeking help from the public in locating the missing painting.
Adam Schrader
Detectives used video surveillance to identify the suspects, leading to Ostrager’s arrest and a warrant for Brown, who was also later arrested.
It was not immediately clear whether the video surveillance that allowed for the suspects to be identified was from the original theft or the return of the painting.
Detectives were notified on March 25 that the painting “Dueling Oak New Orleans City Park” had occurred sometime within the previous week at The Ford Plant, a historic car assembly facility now in the process of redevelopment as a creative hub.
The work, valued at $7,500 and painted onto a standard-size door, took Schmidt more than a year to complete, authorities said.
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