[CPProt.net] Florida: Paintings Worth $16, 000 Stolen, Damaged. Two Men Arrested When Trying To Ship Paintings To Texas.

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

Paintings Worth $16,000 Stolen, Damaged
Police: Two Men Arrested When Trying To Ship Paintings To Texas

POSTED: 6:53 pm EST December 16, 2005
UPDATED: 10:47 am EST December 17, 2005

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Two men who damaged and tried to steal paintings worth
$16,000 from a South Beach building Saturday night were caught in the act,
police said.

The Icon, one of South Beach's newest and most glamorous buildings that
houses million-dollar condos, sweeping vistas, housed artwork that its
24-hour security could not keep thieves from stealing.

The works of art, part of an exhibit in the building's spa, were brought
from Paris on consignment.

"I think they thought that by putting it in the spa area they would be fine
for overnight. The person who had them on consignment did know it was not a
proper storage area, but he didn't think they were going to be stolen
overnight, either," said Miami Beach Police Detective Juan Sanchez.

Alexander Urrunaga and Carlos Rodriguez, both from Texas, have been arrested
in the case. Police said the men were staying in a unit on the 14th floor
and accessed the spa with a card key. But, they did not hold onto the art
for long, but quickly packaged the paintings in a plan to ship them to their
Dallas homes when they were caught.

"We found out they were getting ready to ship them to Texas at a local
Staples store. The detectives went over there and were able to retrieve all
the artwork and bring them back to the station," Sanchez said.

The thieves destroyed the paintings in the process, police said.

"When they were folding the artwork in order to take it, most of the artwork
was destroyed in the manner in which they folded them. They put creases in
them. A lot of the artwork is no longer useful for any type of sale,"
Sanchez said.

Investigators said both of the suspects have confessed to the crime. The men
have been charged with grand theft, a third-degree felony.

http://www.nbc6.net/