A St. Paul man was charged Friday with felony theft in connection with the heist last week of a bronze statue of F. Scott Fitzgerald from outside the former school once attended by the famous writer.

Dustan Charles Schmitt, 37, was arrested Thursday after St. Paul police were notified that a man was attempting to sell pieces of the statue to a metal recycling business.

The statue of a young Fitzgerald, valued at around $25,000, was stolen from outside the former St. Paul Academy school, now a professional building in the Summit-University neighborhood. According to the police report, Schmitt allegedly cut it free from its base using a saw or torch.

An employee at EMR (Northern Metal) Recycling in St. Paul called police Tuesday after a man was trying to sell pieces of the statue there. Investigators identified Schmitt as the suspect and obtained a search warrant for him and his St. Paul residence, where they found a small propane tank and a blowtorch in his vehicle and three small torch heads in his bedroom.

Schmitt has been charged with numerous offenses in the last few years, including criminal sexual conduct involving minors, motor vehicle theft and recovering stolen property, according to court records.

He was sentenced to 54 days in prison in 2021 after being convicted of stealing $795 of propane tanks, and he was convicted of domestic abuse in 2023.

Schmitt is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County District Court on March 7.