ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Despite the prayers of its owner, the statue of Jesus that was stolen from downtown St. Louis on Friday has been located but has been chopped up into pieces.
The statue's owner, Rev. Larry Rice of the New Life Center, hoped the statue would be recovered and put back on display. He says they located one-third of the 400-pound bronze statue that depicts Jesus sleeping on a bench in East St. Louis.
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He says police told him that the apparent thief tried, unsuccessfully, to sell it to a scrap dealer in north St. Louis. After the dealer declined, the man sold it on the parking lot to another man – caught on surveillance tape – who they think drove the statue to East St. Louis and chopped it up.
Rice says he's giving up on ever putting it back up outside his New Life Evangelistic Center at 1411 Locust St..
"The first few days I was praying heavily we'd get it back," Rice says. "But then the lord gave me a peace as I was praying about this that the living christ is still there, totally intact, wants to help people."
KMOX is awaiting a comment from St. Louis police on any arrests or possible charges.
Last Tuesday, a man was caught by police trying to steal the life-sized sculpture of Jesus. A resident in a nearby loft spotted the crime in progress, confronted the man and called police who came by and made the arrest, Rice said.
St. Louis Police confirm they arrested a 57-year-old man with a saw that night in a "derelict black pick up truck attempting to cut a bench in front of the N.L.E.C. with a saw."
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