Suspects Arrested in the Grand Theft of 55 Oscar Statuettes

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, March 20, 2000

Los Angeles – On Friday, March 10, 2000, it was discovered that 55 Academy Award Oscars, which were scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles in time for the Academy Awards Ceremony on March 26, 2000, were missing. The Department received requests for assistance from Roadway Express Management Personnel and from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Bell Police Department to assist with the investigation and recovery of the missing Oscar statuettes.

LAPD Detectives assigned to Burglary-Auto-Theft Division joined the investigation on March 14, 2000, and worked in conjunction with Roadway Express, the Bell Police Department and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to determine who was responsible for the disappearance of 55 Oscar statuettes.

Working virtually around the clock, the investigation quickly focused on Anthony Keith Hart, an employee of Roadway Express who was working on the dock in question on the day the Oscar statuettes disappeared. The investigation subsequently led detectives to another suspect, Lawrence Edward Ledent. Further investigation, based on numerous leads, led to the arrest of both Hart and Ledent, on Saturday, March 18, and at approximately 5:30 p.m., they were subsequently booked for Grand Theft, at Parker Center. Bail has been set at $100,000.00 each. The investigation is continuing.

On March 19, 2000, Willie Fullgear notified the LAPD that he found the missing statuettes in a dumpster located behind a supermarket at the corner of Western Avenue and Venice Boulevard.

The Los Angeles Police Department would like to thank Roadway Express Transportation Company and Chief Michael Trevis of the Bell Police Department for their cooperation and assistance in investigating this matter.

For further information, please contact Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.

For Release 12:00 am PST
March 27, 2000