Pocono News Section

I-Team Cold Case Investigation: Stolen Artwork

I-Team Cold Case Investigation: Stolen Artwork - Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 3:57PM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008 @ 03:57pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- This I-Team exclusive deals with a cold case investigation. Lead Investigator Andy Mehalshick has more on the mystery of the stolen artwork. This crime is a real who dunnit? Two paintings were stolen from the Everhart Museum in Scranton exactly three years ago. Today the investigation is at a dead end.

It was a cold, dark night. November 18, 2005, someone broke into the Everhart Museum near Nay Aug Park in Scranton and made off with two paintings. They were Andy Warhol's "Grand Passion" and Jackson Pollock's "Winter in Spring."

An outside motion detector alerted police. When they arrived on scene, they found broken glass and two empty spots on the wall. Even in the early days of the investigation there had been questions about this possibly being an inside job. The thieves were in and out of here in less than 4 and a half minutes. There were security cameras, but at that time they did not record, and they were not monitored overnight. Did the thief know that?

Joe Palumbo was museum spokesman at that time. "Personally I don't see that as being a possibility. It’s something I would find very unlikely, if not completely unlikely."

Scranton police and the FBI investigated and never commented on any possible suspects. Everhart Executive Director Cara Sutherland says it's not usual for stolen artwork to go underground. Some masterpieces stolen in World War II are just now starting to be recovered.

The crime still has people talking. Joan Witford lives near the museum. "It's just unbelievable how they did that really and truly, unbelievable they got away with it I hope they are enjoying their money."

There have been some questions raised as to whether or not the Pollock painting was authentic. The museum believes it was. It was on loan from a private owner, so no insurance was ever placed on it.

As for the Warhol artwork, an insurance company did pay $100,000 for its loss.