Stolen art returned to cancer group

Statue taken from garden last year



BLESSING—The bronze sculpture shown before it was stolen. It was created by local artist Delesprie.

BLESSING—The bronze sculpture shown before it was stolen. It was created by local artist Delesprie.

Somebody’s conscience got the better of them, or at least that’s the theory.

The beloved bronze angel statue stolen late last November from the Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara was returned last week, a spokesperson at the organization’s Hampshire Road headquarters said.

The 3-foot-tall sculpture from renowned local artist Delesprie sat in an outdoor garden area at the Cancer Support Community known as the Garden of Hope. It was one of three angels gracing the garden. A thief used a power tool to free the heavy piece from its concrete and steel mooring.

On Jan. 2, however, a maintenance worker who reported to the building for duty found the statue near the same spot where it was stolen from last year, said Cancer Support executive Bridget Karl.

The piece was not damaged and was given to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for examination.

“The (thief) brought it back,” Karl said.“We’re thrilled.”

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that the statue was at a residence in Thousand Oaks, but the stolen item wasn’t found.

The bronze piece was donated to the cancer organization in 2012 by former Las Virgenes School District superintendent Bud Marley and his late wife, Jacque.

“During this holiday season of hope and joy, someone took something so precious and meaningful from us, one of our angel statues, a statue donated to our facility in support of and honoring the many affected by cancer,” the organization’s board director David Wank said following the theft.

“I’m pleading with the person that took the statue if you could please return it to us, with no questions asked, we would like to return it to its rightful place.”

Wank’s plea must have been heard but, although the art piece was returned, there was no evidence as to who might have taken it.

“(Police) could not pursue a criminal investigation because there were no markings or fingerprints on the statue,” Karl said.

“As far as suspects, we really didn’t have any,” Sheriff’s Detective Michelle Kristol said.

Marley has a theory on why it might have been returned.

“I think (the thief) probably ended up deciding they had more than they could deal with,” he said.

It’s believed that the one-of-a-kind sculpture with markings would have been difficult to sell on the black market.

Marley said all’s well that ends well.

“I was extremely happy,” he said.

The returned statue is being reinstalled today, Jan. 12.


SAFE AND SOUND—A sheriff’s representative with Bridget Karl, chief executive of the Cancer Support Community, and the returned, undamaged statue.

SAFE AND SOUND—A sheriff’s representative with Bridget Karl, chief executive of the Cancer Support Community, and the returned, undamaged statue.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *