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Police in Salt Lake City and Kaysville are looking into whether a number of gallery thefts of expensive artwork by a popular local painter are connected.
The most recent theft occurred around May 3 at the Repartee Gallery inside the Deseret Book store, 20 E. South Temple, in downtown Salt Lake City. Seven prints and 10 limited-edition canvases, which are signed and numbered, were stolen. All but two of the artwork pieces were by popular Orem-based painter James Christensen. The loss is estimated at $16,000.
Police are investigating whether the latest burglary at the Repartee Gallery is linked to similar break-ins at Canyon Gallery and Framing in Kaysville. The gallery was first hit in November, then again last month. Losses in Canyon Gallery robberies total $13,000.
In all the thefts, the artwork by Christensen was primarily targeted.
Repartee gallery manager Jo Ann Warner said an employee of Deseret Book noticed that on May 3 a man had spent 2 1/2 hours in the gallery, which was closed at the time. When the man was questioned by the employee, he responded that he was waiting for his mother so that he could look at frames.
Another employee of Deseret Book noticed two men in the basement storage room, where framed art and the canvases are located.
"[Christensen's] pieces increase so much . . . just from the popularity," she said. "A lot of the pieces that were stolen were sold out."
The suspects probably had been staking out the gallery and could have figured out where the key to the storage room was hidden, Warner said.
"Somebody either knew where my key was, or it was someone who had access to the keys to get down here," she said.
Warner said that two short tunnels lead out of the building from the basement storage section - but only people familiar with the layout of the facility know about the tunnels.
Authorities believe the thieves knew exactly what they were after and how to escape unnoticed, but aren't sure if they used the tunnels.
"At this point, we don't have any reason to believe [the suspects] used any alleged tunnels," Salt Lake City police Sgt. John Beener said.
Salt Lake City just released the description of one suspect in the Repartee theft case - a 6-foot-tall white male with dark clothing and short brown hair. But police are not releasing any more information about any additional suspects.
Warner was made aware of the theft the morning of May 5 when she saw that a piece of art was missing from the wall. There were no signs of a break-in or a forced entry.
Salt Lake City police have not yet formally questioned gallery or bookstore employees.
The Repartee gallery is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a suspect in the case.