Police Recover Stolen Remington Works

Los Angeles police recovered an estimated $500,000 worth of Frederic Remington bronze statues, hand-crafted furniture and paintings that had been left on a horse trail here after they were taken in an auto theft a week earlier, authorities said Saturday.

Patrol officers found the valuables on the hillside of a bridle path above the Pacoima Wash near Eldridge Avenue and Harding Street after a resident phoned the police about 7:30 Friday night.

The large bronze figurines, professionally packed paintings, a Persian rug and other items were found wrapped between an old carpet and a tarp, said Sgt. Bob Tumas of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Tumas said he suspected that the thieves tried to disguise the treasure trove as more debris heaped on the hillside.

“Somebody had put down carpeting on the dirt and then laid all this stuff on top of it,” Tumas said. “I think whoever took this knew that it was worth a lot of money. This is not a place where a lot of people go.”

Authorities said the owner, David Pickman of Calabasas, estimated the value of the bronze figurines alone at $300,000.

The art was lost last Sunday when Pickman’s truck was stolen from a parking lot in the 19300 block of Business Center Drive in Northridge. The truck was recovered the next day, abandoned in Sylmar, but the artwork inside had been removed, authorities said.

Detectives from the Police Department’s Devonshire Division will continue the theft investigation, authorities said, and Pickman has recovered his belongings.

“He picked it all up early this morning,” Tumas said. “I imagine he was pretty happy.”