Paintings returned to gallery, couple arrested in S.L. theft

Police returned five expensive paintings to a gallery Monday and arrested the couple accused of stealing them.

The Art of Giving Gallery, run by the not-for-profit Desilyn Multiple Sclerosis Foundation at The Gateway, was in the process of hiring a woman when she and her boyfriend decided to buy the paintings — Pino Giclees artwork — last Thursday.

According to documents filed in 3rd District Court on Monday, the couple presented a check for $14,311.05 and took the paintings. When the check was submitted, it was returned to the gallery marked as "stop payment."

When the couple was confronted, they told police they stopped payment on the check immediately after obtaining the artwork and would not return the artwork. They said they were holding it for ransom against "a debt they believe (the gallery) owed to them," according to court documents.

Police arrested the duo Monday, confiscated the artwork from their home and returned it to the gallery.

The man and woman each were charged with one count of second-degree theft. If convicted, they could each face a $5,000 fine and up to 15 years in jail.