Missing Monkey Case Closed!
Missing monkey statue returned to Mount Holly
By DAVID LEVINSKY Burlington County Times
MOUNT HOLLY - The long-lost Historic Mount Holly Monkey statue is back where it belongs.
Township police and officials said the sculpture, missing since November 2003, was returned to authorities Monday afternoon by an apparent Good Samaritan who said he rescued it from a home in Delanco.
"I just wanted to give this monkey back to the people of Mount Holly," said Carmen Cavalero of Burlington Township yesterday in an interview.
The monkey statue, called Historic Mount Holly Monkey because of the township landmarks painted on its body, was the first of three to disappear from a 14-sculpture outdoor exhibit set up for the First Night Burlington County celebration on New Year's eve in 2003. They were bolted to barrels set up on downtown sidewalks.
The second two statues taken were recovered days later from an attic in a township home and a resident was charged with theft, but the first remained missing until Cavalero contacted police Monday.
Cavalero said he spotted the sculpture in the living room of a home in Delanco last Thursday. He said the monkey reminded him of one he once saw in the window of a restaurant in Mount Holly.
He said he realized later that the monkey statue was stolen. "I went back to the house in the middle of the night (Sunday) and demanded that they turn it over so I could return it," Cavalero said.
He said the residents of the home reluctantly agreed to give him the statue, which he then returned to police the next day.
The statue was back on display yesterday in the window of the Main Street Mount Holly offices on High Street.
Officials there said no decision has been made about whether the sculpture would be sold like the others to benefit Main Street Mount Holly and the artists who created them, or kept.
"We're extremely happy the monkey was returned," said Regan Young, spokesman for Main Street Mount Holly. "Ultimately, the board will decide what happens to him."
Cavalero said he refused to disclose the identities of the residents to police. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone where I got it from. I just wanted to acquire it for the police and give it back to Mount Holly," he said.
Mount Holly Detective Sgt. Mark Byar-schmidt said investigators did not plan to pursue the matter further. "The case is closed. All the monkeys are recovered," he said.
By DAVID LEVINSKY Burlington County Times
MOUNT HOLLY - The long-lost Historic Mount Holly Monkey statue is back where it belongs.
Township police and officials said the sculpture, missing since November 2003, was returned to authorities Monday afternoon by an apparent Good Samaritan who said he rescued it from a home in Delanco.
"I just wanted to give this monkey back to the people of Mount Holly," said Carmen Cavalero of Burlington Township yesterday in an interview.
The monkey statue, called Historic Mount Holly Monkey because of the township landmarks painted on its body, was the first of three to disappear from a 14-sculpture outdoor exhibit set up for the First Night Burlington County celebration on New Year's eve in 2003. They were bolted to barrels set up on downtown sidewalks.
The second two statues taken were recovered days later from an attic in a township home and a resident was charged with theft, but the first remained missing until Cavalero contacted police Monday.
Cavalero said he spotted the sculpture in the living room of a home in Delanco last Thursday. He said the monkey reminded him of one he once saw in the window of a restaurant in Mount Holly.
He said he realized later that the monkey statue was stolen. "I went back to the house in the middle of the night (Sunday) and demanded that they turn it over so I could return it," Cavalero said.
He said the residents of the home reluctantly agreed to give him the statue, which he then returned to police the next day.
The statue was back on display yesterday in the window of the Main Street Mount Holly offices on High Street.
Officials there said no decision has been made about whether the sculpture would be sold like the others to benefit Main Street Mount Holly and the artists who created them, or kept.
"We're extremely happy the monkey was returned," said Regan Young, spokesman for Main Street Mount Holly. "Ultimately, the board will decide what happens to him."
Cavalero said he refused to disclose the identities of the residents to police. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone where I got it from. I just wanted to acquire it for the police and give it back to Mount Holly," he said.
Mount Holly Detective Sgt. Mark Byar-schmidt said investigators did not plan to pursue the matter further. "The case is closed. All the monkeys are recovered," he said.
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