WAILUA — The theft of two handmade lanterns is the latest of strange occurrences that are a concern to a peaceful neighborhood backed up against the reservoir entrance in Wailua Homesteads. The lanterns were stolen Monday around 10 p.m., said
WAILUA — The theft of two handmade lanterns is the latest of strange occurrences that are a concern to a peaceful neighborhood backed up against the reservoir entrance in Wailua Homesteads.
The lanterns were stolen Monday around 10 p.m., said Stephan Blas, owner of the Aina Pono Street home. The lanterns sat outside the residence for over two years until moved to the driveway entrance about three weeks ago. They were going to eventually function as an outdoor light.
“These are part of an art project that we have been working on for a long time and would very much like them to be returned — no questions asked,” Blas said. “I participate in the creation of art both exterior and interior and the copper-patina lanterns were an aspect of this work.”
The lamps are valued at about $500 a piece, but they mean much more to Blas and his partner who created the lanterns together.
“They are one of a kind since I created them,” Blas said. “I wasn’t planning on selling them. They are just part of the work we do here in creating an environment with a particular look and style.”
The lanterns, which weigh about 30 pounds each, were made from resin and designed to look like a Japanese stone lantern. After applying a copper primer and metal paint coating, they use a patina process that involves a solution of vinegar and salt to give it an aged look with a brown and turquoise color.
The thief was probably attracted to the beauty of its copper gates, Blas said. If they were after copper, then they would discover it was copper paint over resin, he said.
Blas said the police were informed of neighborhood concerns about vehicles with occupants parked for hours at a time in the area. The vehicles remain until someone approaches and then drive off, he said.
“As far as I know I am the only one who reported a burglary recently,” Blas said. “I don’t know of another neighbor who had that happen.”
Blas said a neighbor cautioned him about placing the lanterns on the driveway. He went ahead anyway because he hadn’t experienced any trouble in the neighborhood in 10 years.
The neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he was awake the night of the theft and heard people on the street loading something onto a truck. By the time he got outside, the vehicle had driven off and was going around the corner.
He said it was a light colored pickup and may have been a medium-sized vehicle with a six-cylinder engine.
The day of the theft, there was a pickup truck parked in front of a neighbors’ house, the neighbor said. It may not have anything to do with the theft, but he said there are strange coincidences going on lately in a neighborhood that is not accustomed to through traffic.
On the day of the theft, the neighbor reported seeing a white-covered pickup with government license plates. This is not strange as they are near the state agricultural station off Kuamo‘o Road, he said, but the vehicle sat there and the driver would not respond to people who approached it.
The neighbors are becoming more suspicious of the occasional vehicle driving very slowly through the neighborhood. “We keep good relations with all our neighbors and thus also keep an eye out for the neighborhood in general,” Blas said.
According to Kaua‘i county spokesperson Sarah Blane, the Kaua‘i Police Department listed the incident as a third-degree theft of decorative lanterns. This is a misdemeanor offense that carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
Anyone with information about the missing lanterns is urged to call KPD Investigative Services Bureau at 241-1696 or Crime Stoppers at 241-1887. Refer to Police Report No. 2012-17028.
∫ Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@thegardenisland.com.
