Full Notification

Detectives are seeking the public’s help in recovering a beloved piece of art stolen from an outdoor fountain at San Dimas City Hall. Some time after 9:00 p.m. on Thursday night, October 16, 2014, someone stole a bronze statue of two boys, titled “Catching Frogs.” The statue depicts two boys crouched at the water’s edge, in the act of catching a frog leaping out of reach. It was reported that the frog portion of the art was stolen on Tuesday night, October 14, and discovered Wednesday morning.

Board members from the San Dimas Festival of the Arts, as well as city officials, were dismayed by the theft. “It’s upsetting when you do something nice for the community, and thieves try to tear down what we have done,” said one distraught resident.

The bronze artwork is valued at approximately $25,000. According to the San Dimas Festival of the Arts website, Catching Frogs was dedicated on December 19, 1998. The piece was displayed in the Sculpture Garden at the 1996 San Dimas Festival of Arts National Western Art Exhibition and Sale. This public art project also gets dressed up once a year during the National Western Art Exhibition and Sale.

Ironically, members of the San Dimas Festival of Arts are currently setting up for the 18th Annual Wildlife & Landscape Art Show, to be held at the same location at City Hall from October 17-19, 2014. (News article.)
The motive for the theft is unknown. The artwork is very valuable, but may have been stolen for the value of the materials as scrap metal. Anyone with information is urged to call San Dimas Sheriff’s Station at (909)450-2700.

Catching Frogs is one of many by accomplished painter and sculptor Vic Riesau, whose art draws on many subjects and themes and has been widely exhibited and collected. His monumental bronzes are permanently installed in many public, corporate, and private collections including the California State Capitol, several counties, cities, Point Loma University in San Diego, and at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. His bronzes are included in the collections of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, the California Emigrant Museum and the Camigie Art Museum.

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SAN DIMAS SHERIFF’S STATION
San Dimas Sheriff’s Station is one of six stations within the East Patrol Division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Station’s jurisdiction encompasses approximately 276 square miles. In addition to serving the City of San Dimas, the station serves unincorporated communities of Azusa, Covina, Glendora, La Verne, Claremont, Pomona, the Los Angeles County portion of Mt. Baldy, a large portion of the Angeles National Forest (State Route 39), and portions of Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2). The population for these areas is approximately one hundred and five thousand (105,000), nearly sixty sixty-nine thousand (69,000) in the unincorporated areas and more than thirty-six thousand (36,000) in the City of San Dimas.

San Dimas Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
270 S. Walnut Avenue
San Dimas, CA 91773
(909) 450-2700

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