DENVER — A theft suspect was paid $394 for numerous metal pieces that were stolen from the Martin Luther King Jr. monument and a fountain at Denver's City Park last month, according to an arrest affidavit from Denver Police.
Herman Duran, 67 and Robert Duran, 47, have both been arrested in the case. Herman Duran was arrested on March 10, while Robert Duran turned himself in on Feb. 29.
According to an arrest affidavit from Denver Police, investigators first learned about the vandalism to the MLK monument through news reports on Feb. 21 and later confirmed the damage with a Denver Parks and Recreation employee. That employee said they were in the process of filing a report and said they believed the damage, which included the removal of three pieces of metal attached to the monument, might have occurred sometime overnight.
Police later spoke with Denver's public art collection manager, who described the missing pieces as being molded in bronze metal. He described them as "very unique" and estimated the value of the theft and vandalism to be about $85,000.
The city provided photos of the missing pieces, which police then uploaded to a site called ScrapTheftAlert.com. It's used to track theft of precious metals and deliver alerts to recycling centers and other law enforcement.
Two days later, on Feb. 23, an employee called and said he had seen the alert and believed they had the stolen pieces. Police responded and confirmed the items were there, but noted that the larger piece had been cut into several smaller pieces.
An employee explained that they collect identifying information for anyone they pay for metals and provided police with a receipt paid to Herman Duran for $394. The receipt indicated he was paid for 290 pounds of "yellow brass clean." The business also provided police with a scan of Herman Duran's ID which he had provided to them.
Investigators spoke with the employee who had collected the items from Herman Duran. He said Herman Duran was with another person who waited in the car. That employee said he asked Herman Duran if the items were from a cemetery, and he responded that they were not. He asked where they came from, and according to the affidavit, Herman Duran said he got them from a family member.
Everyone who sells scrap metal must sign a waiver certifying that they're the owner. In this case, the business supplied police with the waiver signed by Herman Duran. They also provided surveillance video of Herman Duran's vehicle, a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee. They also shared a video of him completing the transaction at the window for the stolen art. It had a timestamp of Feb. 19 at 1:14 p.m.
Police reviewed HALO camera footage near the statue and determined that the theft occurred between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 18. During that time, an SUV is seen that is "consistent" with Duran's vehicle from the footage at the scrap business.
According to the affidavit, Herman Duran also had seven bronze trim pieces when he arrived at the scrap metal business. They were later determined to be from the Addison Thatcher fountain in City Park.
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