FORT SMITH -- Police issued a warrant Thursday for a man they want to talk to regarding the theft from the Fort Smith Museum of History last month of a pin that belonged to Judge Isaac C. Parker.
Mark Craig Stevens, 58, was charged in a warrant with theft by receiving, a felony, according to a statement from the police.
Police spokesman Cpl. Anthony Rice said Stevens worked for the museum in a contractor capacity. Rice declined to disclose additional information, saying investigators have yet to speak with Stevens.
Police were looking Thursday for Stevens, who lives in Fort Smith.
The 1½-by-1¼-inch gold and diamond pin in the shape of a lizard was taken from a display case in the museum March 22. Police found it two days later and returned it to the museum. Police have not detailed how the pin was recovered.
Museum Executive Director Leisa Gramlich said last month she noticed the display case containing the pin was moved slightly away from the wall. When she checked the case, she saw the pin was missing and the door at the back of the case had been forced opened. A metal plate to which the lock securing the cabinet door was attached had been pried loose.
Parker was the federal judge in Fort Smith from 1875 to 1896 during the "Hell on the Border" days and was famous for the 79 men who were executed during his judgeship.
The pin, a gift from his wife, Mary, is one of the few personal possessions of Parker's in the museum's collection.
NW News on 04/13/2018