A new Crime Stoppers television spot is aimed at loosening lips and revealing who destroyed a St. Albert sculpture in May.
Mayor Nolan Crouse appears in the video, which will air this week and next on Global, Shaw and Omni.
Crouse spearheaded the Crime Stoppers video but knows it’s a long shot in ferreting out the perpetrators.
“There’s always a glimmer of hope,” he said. “At this point it’s kind of the last ditch effort because if we don’t get anything this time around, we probably never will.”
Weighing 2,700 kg (6,000 lbs.), the StarWoman statue was valued at about $65,000. It was one of a five-piece collection by renowned aboriginal artist Stewart Steinhauer that the city bought for $232,000 last fall.
StarWoman was discovered tipped over at its location along the Red Willow Trail behind St. Albert Place on May 7. The uppermost section of the work, which depicted a woman’s head and a star in the sky, were missing from the granite work that lay broken next to a railing.
The Crime Stoppers spot has been available on YouTube since last week and began running on television this week. So far there have been no tips, said Flavia Robles, executive director of the Crime Stoppers Association of Edmonton.
“We’re asking citizens to do what they can and come forward with any information,” Robles said.
Crime Stoppers tips are all anonymous, she said, and can be made by calling 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or visiting the website at www.crimestoppers.ab.ca.
The city is still working through the question of whether or how to replace the sculpture, said Chris Jardine, general manager of community and protective services.
It was initially thought the sculpture was damaged beyond repair but a detailed investigation into that issue was just recently completed.
“Early last week we were still trying to figure out, could we repair the sculpture,” Jardine said.
It’s now confirmed that the statue can’t be repaired, he said.
An insurance claim is still being processed and an engineering firm is also close to completing an analysis of ways to prevent the four remaining sculptures from being tipped over, Jardine said.
