- A masked man broke into a rock museum in Oregon to rob it of its gold pieces
- Authorities have not yet been able to identify the man and police dogs were unable to successfully track him
A suspect broke a window at an Oregon museum early Sunday morning and stole several gold pieces, while police are unable to find the perpetrator.
Footage of the alarming incident shows the man approaching the small Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and smashing a window before jumping straight into the building.
Washington County Sheriff's Office officers followed footprints south from the broken window and museum. But couldn't find the suspect.
Officers tried to use a trained police dog to track down the suspect, but were unsuccessful.
Around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, a man dressed all in black, including a ski mask, used a sledgehammer to smash into a small museum in Washington County, Oregon, stealing “countless” gold pieces.
At the museum, officials found a dramatically vandalized display case from which “numerous gold objects” had been taken.
Agents are not releasing the value of the missing items at this time.
The suspect is described as a white male with a medium build who was wearing jeans, a jacket and a mask.
Glass display cases containing, among other things, pieces of natural gold were violently smashed with the suspect's sledgehammer and the contents removed.
Some of the gold pieces appeared to be unaltered rock specimens found in Oregon, California and other parts of the American West.
Other pieces were anchored in a different historical context, including thousands of years old rings and jewelry from the Middle East.
The valuable pieces seemed to be quite clearly labeled – perhaps something museum directors are now considering.
The word 'GOLD!!' is printed in large font in the display case that was vandalized and robbed.
The display case with the prominent inscription 'GOLD!!' was vandalized and stolen during the Sunday robbery
Each room in the museum celebrates a different type of stone
The small museum was founded in 1952 and continues to operate from the home of its founders, Richard and Helen Rice, to this day.
Nearly thirty years ago, the museum was formally re-established as a nonprofit organization.
The collection included more than 20,000 rock and mineral samples. Each room celebrates a different kind of rock.
Anyone with information about the potential suspect or the burglary is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-846-2700.