Three Arrested in $166K Abraham Lincoln Statue Theft from Historic Louisiana House

ASCENSION PARISH, LA (KPEL) — Louisiana authorities arrested three individuals believed to be behind the theft of an Abraham Lincoln statue valued at $166,000. The iconic statue was on display at the Houmas House and Gardens.

Get our free mobile app

On Monday, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office posted about the incident and asked for the public's assistance in locating the individuals responsible.

Through their investigation, detectives determined that the suspects broke a window to enter the Houmas House before cutting the statue into pieces and selling it to a pawn shop and a gold and silver shop in Metairie.

Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office property crimes detectives identified the following individuals as the suspects:

• Steve Coronado, 28, Raceland
• Alma Fontenot, 20, New Iberia
• Bruce Shelvin, 49, Avondale

Fontenot and Shelvin were booked into the Ascension Parish Jail, where Coronado will be transported from Jefferson Parish, where he is being held on related charges.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.