A man was accused of attempting to sell the scrap bronze of a statue of author F. Scott Fitzgerald that was stolen in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and he was arrested.

The bronze statue sat outside a building formerly used as the Saint Paul Academy. Fitzgerald once attended the school and published some of his first short stories there, the Saint Paul Police Department said on social media. The statue was reported missing on Feb. 7.

On Monday, an employee of Northern Metal Recycling contacted the police and said suspect Dunstan Charles Schmitt tried to sell him the cut-up portions of the statue. Mr. Schmitt, 37, was arrested without further incident at a Saint Paul residence Thursday.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has charged Mr. Schmitt with one count of felony receiving stolen property.

Police thanked the scrap metal company for upholding state law that says anyone who tries to sell copper worth more than $25 must have a license. The whole statue was worth about $25,000, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

“I also want to commend the Northern Metal Recycling employee whose intuition helped us recover what’s left of this sentimental piece of Saint Paul history,” SPPD Chief Axel Henry posted Friday.

Some parts of the statue are still missing, and police ask that anyone who may know of their whereabouts to call 651-291-1111.

The statue will cost as much as $40,000 to replace, Ed Conley, the owner of the building beside the statue, told Minneapolis’ KMSP-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.