Suspect charged in theft of F. Scott Fitzgerald statue allegedly tried to sell pieces to scrapyard

A man charged in connection with the theft of a statue of a young F. Scott Fitzgerald was trying to sell the dismantled bronze artwork to a scrap metal recycler, police say.

Police say the statue was reported missing from outside St. Paul Academy on Feb. 7 and was last seen there on Feb. 3. Fitzgerald, the author known for “The Great Gatsby,” attended the school from 1908-11.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, an employee at Northern Metal Recycling reported on Tuesday that 37-year-old Dustan Charles Schmitt was trying to sell the statue, which had been cut into pieces.

Schmitt ran but left some of the pieces behind. A metal plaque and bird that had been reported missing from Unity Church in St. Paul were also recovered, police said.

Police executed a search warrant on Thursday and took Schmitt into custody. He had a propane tank, blow torch and torch heads in his possession.

Schmitt faces one felony count of receiving stolen property.

“We want to thank Northern Metal Recycling for their vigilance and commitment to upholding the new state law which requires anyone looking to sell scrap metal copper worth more than $25 to first obtain a license,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said. “I also want to commend the Northern Metal Recycling employee whose intuition helped us recover what’s left of this sentimental piece of Saint Paul history, while also likely preventing additional metal thefts from happening in our community.”

Some fragments of the Fitzgerald statue are still missing. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call 651-291-1111.