Three arrested in theft of 'Lipinski' Strad

Written by Laurie Niles
Published: February 5, 2014 at 9:58 PM [UTC]

Here is the report from Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that one of the suspects is a 41-year-old Milwaukee man who was convicted of stealing a $25,000 statue nearly 20 years ago.

The Strad was stolen on January 27 from Milwaukee Symphony Concertmaster Frank Almond, who was walking to his car after a concert and was allegedly shot with a taser, then robbed of the violin. The violin, made in 1715, was the subject of a 2013 project called A Violin's Life.

A $100,000 reward was offered for the return of the Strad. It is not yet clear if the violin has been recovered, but the Milwaukee Police Department is holding a press conference this afternoon. This story is still developing; please feel free to add comments as we learn more information.

Update: The New York Times reports that the suspects are two men, 36 and 41, and a woman, 32.

Update: From the 4:30 p.m. press conference in Milwaukee: The violin has NOT been recovered, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flinn. "I think there is still a good chance it's....still in our jurisdiction." Physical evidence links these suspects to the crime. "At these point we don't have any indication they were working for anyone but themselves."

Update: The violin case had been recovered within hours of the robbery. Police don't know if any steps were taken to protect the instrument after the case was discarded. The police also have not yet located the getaway van.