Man accused of stealing Bengals mosaic in Butler County still at large
From heartbreaking to heartwarming, the mosaic is back where it belongs.
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A piece of art stolen from the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities is back in its right place, but authorities have yet to catch whoever’s responsible.
The Cincinnati Bengals mosaic was one of the first pieces of art made by artists at the Inside Out Art Studio in 2006. The artists had developmental disabilities.
For Patricia Dawson with BCBDD, the mosaic was always a reminder of the independence and self-expression those with such disabilities can have.
“It was always just so beautiful,” she said.
The mosaic was stolen on Wednesday.
“Heartbroken,” said Dawson. “Definitely sad to see it gone, because it’s something that has been there since the beginning of the studio.”
Thanks to the quick work of the Fairfield Township Police Department and members of the community, the mosaic was back in the BCBDD building by Thursday.
Police say they got several calls identifying the suspect after posting a picture to their Facebook page.
“This was a heartbreaking event that happened, but also it was really heartwarming because instantly we saw the community just working together to get this found, to try to find the person who took it,” Dawson said.
The suspect, according to police, is Richard Lewis Jones of Liberty Township.
Warrants are out for his arrest.
Dawson says BCBDD is in the process of deciding where the mosaic will be displayed next.
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