Thieves steal cherished Girl Scouts statue
For almost two decades, a bronze sculpture called “In Grace” has sat on a pedestal in front of the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada office in east Las Vegas, symbolizing the need for all to live a life of honor.
But on early Saturday, thieves pulled up to the office and stole the cherished sculpture.
“Until we put something in that spot or get our statue returned, we are going to have to talk about the fact that someone’s life is so desperate that they would steal from the Girl Scouts,” said Aimee Romero, chief communications and development officer for the nonprofit organization.
Las Vegas police said they are investigating. No arrests had been made as of Monday.
The Girl Scouts first posted about the missing sculpture Saturday morning on social media with the message: “Stolen! Our bronze statue ‘Grace’ was swiped.”
All that remained in front of the Girl Scouts office Monday morning was the empty pedestal. The office is at 2941 E. Harris Ave., near East Washington Avenue and Pecos Road.
The 2003 statue is by artist J.R. Eason and has an estimated value of $20,000.
“To be in grace is to be at peace within; To realize this blessing is a gift from Him,” a sign in front of the statue reads.
The Girl Scouts said the theft was carried out by two men in a dark blue or black sedan. The crime was captured on video surveillance.
“The sedan pulls up to the front entrance, it kills the headlights and two men jump out of the car,” Romero said. “They walk to where the statue is, one on each side, they lift it up and carry it to the car and threw it in the car and drove off.”
She said police suspect the thieves are planning to melt down the statue to sell the bronze.
“I’m guessing they aren’t art dealers,” Romero said. “We have to assume they have some sort of plan on how they are going to get some value out of it.”
Anyone with information on the crime may call the Metropolitan Police Department’s downtown area command at 702-828-4348. The Girl Scouts may be reached at 702-385-3677.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.