Last updated April 18, 2007 12:11 p.m. PT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- A man found several stolen glass sculptures designed by artist Dale Chihuly in a vacant lot less than a mile from where they had been taken, authorities said Wednesday.
The red glass reeds were found Tuesday in poor condition in and around a trash pile, said Detective Peter Cuervo, a spokesman for the Coral Gables Police Department. Eight reeds had been stolen from the exhibit at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and authorities believe they recovered them all.
"It looks like they were just thrown and discarded," Cuervo said.
They were taken from the garden during the evening of April 10 or early April 11 by thieves who scaled a wall and replaced the 7- to 8-foot reeds with thin, red plastic pipes, Cuervo said.
There are no suspects, but some fingerprints were found on the reeds and have been sent for analysis, Cuervo said.
"We have been informed that the Chihuly artwork has been found and unfortunately vandalized. But the malicious acts of some should not detract from the enjoyment of many," Chihuly Studio said in an e-mail. "Fairchild continues to do an extraordinary and professional job in support of the Chihuly exhibition which Dale was happy to bring back to the garden for the second consecutive year."
The garden brought the exhibit to Florida to be viewed by visitors and to help fund tropical plant conservation and research, Bruce Greer, president of the garden's board of trustees, said in an e-mail. The reeds were among dozens of pieces in the colorful exhibit.
"It is disheartening that someone would undermine such an important cause. Fortunately, the installation continues to be as beautiful and vibrant, and we encourage everyone to see it before it closes on May 31," Greer said.
This is the second time that reeds have been taken from the exhibit. There were no arrests made after a December theft at the exhibit but the work was recovered.
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