60-pound turtle sculpture stolen from Florida trail

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A Florida arts foundation is offering a $2,000 reward for the safe return of a 60-pound, fiberglass turtle sculpture stolen from a local trail.

The Palm Coast Arts Foundation said Quilty, the sixth 5-foot long turtle sculpture in the group's Turtle Trail, located at the Grand Haven Condo Association's Creekside Park in Palm Coast, was taken sometime between the afternoon of Jan. 27 and Jan. 31.

"Quilty was dedicated in October 2019 and was so liked by thieves that she's now missing," the foundation said in a Facebook post.

Pat Verhagen, a quilter, owner of the 1.1-acre park and sponsor of the missing sculpture, reported Quilty's theft to police.

Nancy Crouch, executive director of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, said police are reviewing security camera footage from the nearby Paradise Landscaping business in the hopes of identifying the thief or thieves.

The foundation is offering a $2,000 reward for the sculpture's safe return.

Quilty was painted by artist Bettie Eubanks, who took inspiration from a 1700s quilt for the sculpture's pattern.