MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop D Service Center - 4282 South Grand Avenue - Carthage MO 64836


News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Mike Watson
(417) 359-1500 ext. 2229
DS2012-18
August 29, 2012

EMPHASIS: Stolen Artwork Recovered In Barton County


On August 29, 2012, troopers assigned to the Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, along with the Lamar Police Department, recovered a bronze statue that had been stolen over 25 years ago. As a result of the investigation, a Lamar resident was arrested.

In March 1987, a bronze bust of American Poet Robert Frost created by Sculptor Walker Hancock was stolen from the campus of Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas. In June 2012, the Wichita State University Police Department received information on the possible location of the artwork in Missouri, and contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol for assistance. Following an investigation in Missouri, troopers recovered the item and arrested Mitchel R. Potter, 44, Lamar, Missouri, at his residence, for receiving stolen property. Potter was transported to the Barton County Jail, Lamar, Missouri. Current estimates put the value of the artwork at approximately $25,000.

The charge for which Mitchel R. Potter was arrested is mere accusation and not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charge must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

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