A Washington County judge sentenced a Bartlesville man on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to stealing a priceless piece of furniture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Forty-year-old Rodney Crane was sentenced to five years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and a total of 17 years probation for stealing several items, including a chair from the Price Tower Arts Center.
Crane was arrested in November after detectives identified him as a person of interest when security cameras caught a man on October 3 on a restricted floor where the chair was on display.
"A short time after that hit the media," Capt. Jay Hastings said, "we did get an anonymous tip, and they gave us a name."
Detectives brought in Crane for questioning and later got a search warrant for his apartment, which is located about six blocks from the Price Tower. Officers found the missing chair in a closet.
Police said they found sewing machines and computers stolen from a nearby business in Crane's closet. To their surprise, they also recovered a gate designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Capt. Hastings said he started looking for the gate in November 2014 after it was reported missing from Hillside, a home the famed architect built on Silver Lake Road in Bartlesville.
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